Sustainable Beef
As global demand for beef increases, the sustainability of production from the ranch to the retail store has become and increasing focus of the entire beef supply chain. The Keystone Policy Center facilitated four stakeholder workshops on beef sustainability in 2013 and 2014 to highlight innovations and sustainability practices in action and discuss challenges and opportunities facing ranchers, feeders, packers, processers, food and retail companies, and conservation interests.
As part of this process, Keystone partnered with groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (a contractor to the Beef Checkoff), the World Wildlife Fund and The Beef Checkoff, to host workshops in Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas. Each session brought together a diverse audience from the beef supply chain, including packers/processors, beef producers, retail/foodservice, and non-governmental organizations. The workshops combined field tours, presentations, expert panels, and break-out discussions aimed at educating key supply-chain participants about current on-the-ground sustainability efforts; fostering relationships and greater collaboration across the supply chain; providing first-hand demonstrations of sustainability best practices; and creating an understanding of associated challenges and opportunities facing the beef supply chain.
