June Loseke, District 7 Representative of the Nebraska Beef Council, recently had the opportunity to travel to Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan to see firsthand how beef is utilized by these markets. Loseke’s trip was in partnership with the U.S. Meat Export Federation, a contractor to the Nebraska Beef Council, and she was joined by other beef producers from across the country. This was not Loseke’s first trip to South Korea, but the first in a few decades.
“Having been in Seoul in the late ‘80s, it was most interesting to see how the culture is moving from a rice-based diet to a meat-based diet,” said Loseke. “Evidence of western influence is more common than what I had remembered.”
Loseke said that while in Seoul and Tokyo, the group was able to visit with U.S. Embassy USDA representatives who summarized current trade status and some challenges relating to beef imports. They learned more about the buying habits of local consumers, interacted with the four major packers from these countries, and were able to see how U.S. beef is a main part of the meat counter in both local supermarkets as well as in COSTCO stores.
“Participating in live TV cooking shows, spending time in class with high school students and being part of a seminar for chefs gave us some direct promotional opportunities,” explained Loseke of their experiences. “We also got to meet several companies who are increasing US meat demand by efficiently moving boxed beef directly to the retailer or even developing novel sauces placed right in the meat counter to enhance beef sales.”
On returning to Nebraska with this new information and worldview of the beef export market, Loseke says she can use this knowledge in her own feedyard and veterinary practice to help others have awareness of how important of a market there is in Japan and South Korea that is continuing to see growth. She also added that USMEF and other beef export groups are working hard to find inroads to new international markets and expand channels that are well established.
“There have been multiple opportunities to talk to my clients and encourage them as local producers to continue working hard to raise such a nutrient dense and sought after protein,” said Loseke. “It can be overwhelming to think of the amount of people who daily count on agricultural producers to show up to work, keeping grocery shelves full. We can’t do this alone, but collectively we each play a part in the effort to feed the world.”
For more information and to learn more about the Nebraska Beef Council, visit www.nebeef.org.
