From the CEO
Colin Woodall
BEEF INDUSTRY LONG RANGE PLAN
During last month’ s Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting, the new Beef Industry Long Range Plan( LRP) was presented and adopted by the Boards of Directors of both NCBA and the Cattlemen’ s Beef Board( CBB). This version of the LRP is the continuation of a process started in 1994 with 14 producers challenged with looking at the future of the cattle industry and the organizations working at the time on policy, promotion, research and education. The resulting Industry-Wide Long Range Plan instituted the changes that led to organizational consolidation and the structure of NCBA we operate under today.
In the past 30 years, the LRP has been a forward-looking roadmap designed to guide the beef cattle industry towards remaining viable, trusted and competitive in the world today. Every five years, the NCBA and CBB officer teams get together and select individuals working in many segments of the beef supply chain to develop the next iteration of the LRP. The task force was selected last summer and spent the winter, spring and early summer discussing the current state of the industry. They had extensive discussion and debate regarding consumer demand, research, the market and how we need to prepare for the future.
The vision of the LRP is that“ the U. S. beef industry thrives as the world’ s most trusted and respected provider of high-quality, safe, nutritious and sustainable protein.” To achieve this vision, the LRP sets out various objectives and tactics to achieve six main goals. These goals will be utilized by the Cattlemen’ s Beef Board to determine what projects should be funded by the Beef Checkoff, and NCBA will use these goals to help create the next NCBA Strategic Plan to be presented during CattleCon in Nashville next year.
One of the new goals focuses on Policy and Supply Chain Viability by reducing unnecessary regulations and enabling a supportive policy environment. While Checkoff funds cannot be used for any policy action, this goal is tailor-made for NCBA’ s policy division. This goal is about targeting regulators, stakeholders and industry partners to create conditions that set us up for success. Some of the tactics identified to achieve this goal include building alliances with like-minded partners to educate policymakers and advocate for pro-cattle legislation.
The objective of the Sustainable Industry Outcomes goal is to proactively define sustainability in a way that adequately reflects beef production in the U. S. We are committed to continual improvement in the way we manage and use our resources, and this goal is meant to help us focus on telling our story, our way, and not allow others to create the narrative that defines us. When it comes to environmental stewardship, nobody does it better than cattle producers, and getting consumers and policymakers to understand that will only help us. When talking about sustainability, we will always remember
The vision of the LRP is that‘ the U. S. beef industry thrives as the world’ s most trusted and respected provider of high-quality, safe, nutritious and sustainable protein.’
that it’ s not just about the environment. We must always consider the economic viability of your operation. If we can’ t help keep you in business, then we have no sustainability.
Public Engagement and Building Confidence cover the goal meant to strengthen consumer confidence in beef by working with nutritionists, educators, chefs, influencers and the media. These individuals and outlets can have a tremendous impact on consumer perception and confidence in the quality and safety of beef. Ensuring they have the right information and are willing to be an advocate for us helps amplify the probeef message to consumers and will allow us to enjoy strong demand for years to come.
Having the right information to share is reliant upon work that will be done under the Innovation, Science, Research and Continuous Improvement goal. Research and investigative science have discovered and commercialized numerous improvements in our industry. Exploring animal diseases and pests has resulted in new, innovative and everevolving ways to control, treat or eradicate much of the pestilence we deal with. Nutrition research has given us the knowledge we share with consumers regarding beef’ s role in a nutritious diet. Ongoing food safety research not only makes our product safer, but work in this area won’ t stop until we can keep our product from ever making anybody sick. Additional funding and partnerships are tactics we can use to build on this goal.
Research ties closely with the Animal Health and Food Safety goal. The industry remains committed to the health, safety and well-being of our cattle, as well as the health and nutrition of our consumer. This goal makes it clear we must remain committed to helping producers improve their production practices through education and exposure to topics such as biosecurity, traceability and science-based systems that protect animal health.
Finally, the Stakeholder Engagement goal aims to strengthen alignment between producers, industry groups and all segments of the beef supply chain. Challenges that impact any part of the chain will have a ripple effect among every other segment. Sharing those challenges and working collectively to address them will help us mitigate the concerns and capitalize on the opportunities.
This iteration of the Beef Industry Long Range Plan will provide guidance through 2030, but that doesn’ t mean it is a static plan. As industry issues and challenges develop, the LRP can be amended to factor in whatever situation we may find ourselves in. These comprehensive goals reflect much of the work underway at NCBA, but they will also influence the future strategy specifically for our association. Over the years, I’ ve heard many times that failing to plan is planning to fail. This LRP is an example of planning for success and longevity for us as cattle and beef producers. Head to beeflongrangeplan. com for more detail.
6 AUGUST 2025 www. NCBA. org