Influencers Gain Valuable Insight Through Nebraska Beef Tour

“The guests on our tour work with beef products every day but don’t necessarily have the background on how beef is raised,” said Adam Wegner, director of marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. “They are also influencers because of their ability to share their experience and knowledge through their communication with consumers. By giving them this first-hand experience, we hope that they can help us share the story of beef production and build consumer confidence in our products.”   

The tour started with a visit to Switzer Ranch near Burwell where the group learned about the beginning stage of beef production on a cow/calf ranch including the use of genetics to improve efficiency and beef quality. From there, the group toured Adams Land & Cattle, a 125,000 head feedyard outside of Broken Bow. At the feedyard the attendees learned about the feeding process, animal care, and the use of technology to reduce the resources needed to feed cattle to their finish weight.   

“Visiting Adams Land and Cattle was an amazing experience, and I am humbled by the opportunity to get to learn how they utilize data with all the variables that affect feeding cattle such as the weather, the economy, and feed costs,” said Jesus Pedraza, a meat and poultry merchant at Fresh Direct in Bronx, New York. “I am grateful for the time that everyone took from their daily activities to help us better understand not only the life cycle of cattle, but of the integral part Nebraska plays in feeding the world.”         

The tour continued with a visit to Trampe Farms, a multi-generation crop farm near Riverdale to learn about corn production and how 40% of Nebraska’s corn crop is used for livestock feed.   

The final stop was a tour of Tyson Fresh Meats, a 4,600 head per day harvesting facility in Lexington. The group watched the harvest process and carcass breakdown resulting in boxed beef ready for shipment around the world.   

“There’s really no better place to tell the story of how beef is raised than right here in Nebraska,” said Wegner. “We have the ideal natural resources, access to quality feed, the processing facilities, and generations of passionate people who are dedicated to raising high-quality beef.”   

 Nebraska ranks 2nd in total cattle numbers with 6.25 million head in January of 2024. The total red meat production from Nebraska in 2023 surpassed 7.6 billion pounds according to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.