New Marketing Opportunity for Progressive Beef Producers
The beef cattle industry is in the midst of major structural change to provide a more consistent and
palatable beef product for the consumer. Toward this end, the industry in the eastern corn-belt must
become part of this responsive production and marketing system. The Five-State Beef Initiative
(FSBI) is a cooperative effort between the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio.
The FSBI is a coordinated production system made up of producers, processors, and vendors
working together to develop a system that responds to the concerns of the consumer and captures
the true value of our beef products.
In Kentucky, the initiative is a coordinated effort among the Kentucky Department of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, Kentucky Farm Bureau, and the University of Kentucky.
The participating states have received a USDA grant to assist them in implementation over the
next three years. The system is designed to provide feedback to the producer from the time
the animal leaves the farm until it is slaughtered, through the use of electronic identification tags
and a comprehensive data management system. This information will provide producers with
the tools needed to make management and marketing decisions.
We are looking for producers interested in targeting their cattle towards premium markets and
who are willing to make necessary management changes. These producers will have the opportunity
to become partners in the project. Partnering producers must provide basic production information,
participate in a uniform health program, and market calves in a way that allows data to be obtained.
In the first year, the Kentucky contingent tagged 2300 cattle and is currently in the process of
retrieving feedlot and carcass data.
Creating a true, value based marketing system that rewards cow-calf producers, backgrounders, feedlots, and packers is the goal of the
FSBI.
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