Wisconsin Farmers Among Select Attendees at Beef Leaders Institute

A small group of breeders were selected to attend the 2024 Beef Leaders Institute. Attendees spent a week learning about the beef value chain.

From pasture to plate, it takes multiple links in the value chain to bring Americans the hamburgers they are throwing on the grill this 4th of July. And each link is integral to the success of the others. One of the many takeaways for the 25 Angus producers selected to attend the 2024 Beef Leaders Institute was that they gained valuable insights.

“To tour other parts of the industry, like a large packing plant, and hear about the challenges and how we, as producers, can help reduce those challenges, that is very valuable,” said attendee Rob Phillips of RL Valley Ranch in Athens, Ohio.

The American Angus Association®, in partnership with Certified Angus Beef ® brand and the Angus Foundation, hosts the annual program to develop young cattlemen and women as industry leaders.

“Our Angus breeders are the very beginning of the food chain. They are raising the high-quality Angus genetics that are the very start of things,” said Kara Lee, director of producer engagement at Certified Angus Beef. “However, sometimes producers can be so focused on executing that it can prevent them from having a better understanding of how they impact every step along the way to the consumer.”

Tours

The five-day tour started at the American Angus Association® in St. Joseph, Missouri, and traveled to six states before wrapping up at the Certified Angus Beef headquarters in Wooster, Ohio. Attendees toured Tyson-Dakota City, Weborg Feedyard, Buckhead of Ohio, STgenetics, and a Meijer Grocery Store along the way.

The whirlwind of a travel week still allowed time for the attendees to get to know one another. This year’s group came from a wide range of operations that vary in size and kind, representing 16 states and two Canadian providences.

2024 Beef Leaders Institute Attendees from Wisconsin include:

  • Annie Benzine, Wisconsin
  • Jed Hallstrand, Wisconsin
  • Courtney Stelzer, Wisconsin

Applications for the 2025 Beef Leaders Institute will open in late fall. The institute is open to American Angus Association members between the ages of 25 and 45.