Consumers’ trust in the handling and food safety of our products is crucial to furthering the profitability of the U.S. cattle industry. The National Beef Quality Audit, completed every 5 years, is a way to monitor the quality of beef going into grocery stores. When it began in 1991, issues like injection site lesions, foreign objects in the muscle, and animal mobility were prevalent. Today, through producer efforts, these issues have improved. But other challenges have arisen. Consumers want traceability with their food and to know the livestock were handled well. Hear from Dr. Keith Belk and Michaela Clowser on the most recent audit.

NCBA officers Todd Wilkinson, Mark Eisele, and Buck Wehrbein visit with Lane at the annual Summer Business Meeting about the grassroots policy. Whether it’s the Farm Bill, cell-cultured protein products, or grazing regulations, cattlemen and women gathered in San Diego to voice their opinions and help determine how NCBA will address these challenges in the coming year. Like Wilkinson said, “I have never been involved in an organization that has as big of an impact as NCBA does.”

Joined again by Meteorologist Matt Makens, he explains how El Niño is affecting different regions of the country. Extreme weather patterns aren't going away, they're just shifting gears. From flooding this spring to extreme heat waves across the country, what’s next for 2023? This podcast is sponsored by AgRisk Advisors and WSR Insurance.

Paul Dykstra with Certified Angus Beef joins us to dive into what is happening with cattle prices and inventory this year, and explain what he expects to come in the future. He gives tips on how you, as a producer, can use market information to your advantage.

Kacy Atkinson is a Wyoming cattle producer and creator of the 10 Miles Past Nowhere blog and social media. She describes what it is like to live miles outside the nearest town. She also shares her personal story of turning loss into an open door for conversations about transition planning to ensure their family doesn’t lose their ranch that began in the 1880s.

Young Cattlemen’s Conference provides young leaders with a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the industry, from production to the consumer. Montana rancher Jake Feddes YCC Chair and North Dakota rancher Calli Thorne share more on the 9-day trip that took 71 producers across the nation.

Our guest, Lettie McKinney, is nothing if not busy! She joins us while she is in the tractor, planting cotton. Lettie and her father manage their family farm and run MC- Meat Co., a direct-to-consumer beef business that Lettie started. From experimenting with growing cotton, to opening a wedding venue on her property, Lettie has added multiple revenue streams to the operation so it can succeed in the future!

Whether it be cybercrime, cattle rustling, or illegal imports, cattle producers are being protected by people like Special Ranger Scott Williamson and Captain Justin Smith. Hear about what types of crime are becoming more popular in agriculture and the cattle industry and what different states are doing to protect their producers, as well as what simple steps you can take to protect yourself.

Jordan O’Neill, a beef cattle nutritionist, joins the conversation today to share what she has seen on her own operation and with her customers as drought impacts cattle numbers and cattle nutrition across the country. New technologies have opened doors to reducing feed waste and increasing feed efficiency. Jordan has advice for all types of producers to improve their cattle feeding techniques.

The Mannix Brothers Ranch in Helmville, Montana, can’t be described as just a cattle ranch. They also manage timber, a direct-to-consumer grass-finished beef program, and most recently, a restaurant. With a large family operation, diversification was inevitable, yet the long-held ideals of conservation and work ethic haven’t ceased. David and Randy Mannix join the podcast to explain the evolution of the operation.