Brackett Looks At Impact Of COVID-19, Alternative Proteins, In Beef’s Long Range Plan

In late July, the Beef Industry rolled out its new five-year Long Range Plan, which covers 2021-2025. This tool, according to Kim Brackett, leader of the Beef Industry Long Range Plan Task Force, is designed to help the industry to develop direction in the near future and address timely issues or challenges. Brackett noted while they’ve updated the Plan every year since 1995, this effort was unique thanks to coronavirus. Over the past couple of months, she says the Task Force chatted with economic experts nationwide, looking at how the pandemic will impact the beef industry.

“Trying to separate what are the short term implications from the COVID pandemic, and what are those long term behavioral and economic changes that are due to the pandemic that’s going to impact the five-year horizon of this plan.  So we really tried to sort through those, but it did affect our planning process for sure.”

Bracket, a cow/calf rancher from Dietrich, ID, says because of COVID-19, they will meet again in spring 2021 to address any changes that need to be made. She said there four specific industry objectives in the Long Range Plan including beef demand, value capture, sustainability and trade stability.

So, how are those areas going to be addressed?

“Our six core strategies for this Long Range Plan are: beef exports; consumer trust; value capture; promotion, promoting beef; the business and political climate that we’re in; and then the 6^th one, this is a new one we added this year is safeguarding and cultivating investments in the industry.  So, the idea those six core strategies with all of their initiatives underneath of them, will help the industry achieve the goals that were established for each of those industry objectives.”

Brackett added the Plan also addresses the growing alternative proteins market, known as fake meat by many. She noted the beef industry needs to do a better job connecting with current and potential consumers.

“These alternative proteins, their marketing campaign is based on what they perceive is our negative sustainability, our negative environmental impact.  And so we’ve tried to address that under the consumer trust initiative in addressing a lot of the sustainability issues.”

Click Here to read the entire Long Range Plan.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com