From pasture to plate, it takes multiple links in the value chain to bring Americans the steaks they are throwing on the grill this summer. The reminder that each link is integral to the success of the others was one of many takeaways for the 25 Angus producers who attended the 2024 Beef Leaders Institute (BLI). 

“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,” says attendee Rob Phillips of RL Valley Ranch in Athens, Ohio. 

The American Angus Association, in partnership with the Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB) brand and 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,” says Kara Lee, director of producer engagement at CAB. “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.” 

The five-day tour started at the Association office in St. Joseph, Mo., included stops in six states before wrapping up at the CAB 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 and many hours on a bus allowed attendees time to get to know one another. This year’s group came from a wide range of operations varying in size and kind, representing 16 states and two Canadian providences.  

“They always say ‘iron sharpens iron.’ There are lots of minds that I can now reach out to that are very, very knowledgeable about how to develop cattle and how they think about what is going on in our industry today,” says attendee Cole Gardiner, Gardiner Angus Ranch, Ashland, Kan. 

Reflecting on their week, fellow attendees echoed Gardiner’s sentiment. While the tours were valuable and left the group with many ideas to take back to their respective operations, the most valuable takeaway from BLI was the relationships that will outlast the latest genetic trend or market swing.