The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB), America’s leading beef sustainability initiative, reiterated the importance of sustainability amid the economic and emotional challenges facing the beef industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came at the organization’s virtual 2021 General Assembly meeting where the USRSB reported its progress through its 2020 Annual Report and elected new leadership.

In 2020, the USRSB began a goals-setting process to advance the continuous improvement of the U.S. beef industry which will be completed in 2021. This process aligns with the USRSB’s mission to advance the U.S. beef industry’s sustainability in a meaningful way. This effort will set credible goals for the industry and practical targets for each sector of the value chain, helping the USRSB reach their vision of becoming the trusted global leader in environmentally-sound, socially-responsible and economically-viable beef.

“It was an honor to serve as chair of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef,” said outgoing 2020-2021 USRSB chair Wayne Morgan. “Despite the challenges of this difficult year, we were able to demonstrate continuous improvement and to drive forward towards an even more sustainable beef supply chain.”

Other 2020 milestones include the launch of new sustainability modules for cow/calf, stocker, backgrounder, feedyards and auction markets, as well as recognizing 15 marketplace programs that are implementing the U.S. Beef Sustainability Framework on the ground, covering more than 8 million head of cattle and more than 18 million pounds of beef. USRSB also reached more than 90,00 producers through trade media messaging campaigns this year.

“I look forward to the year of growth and improvement ahead, building on the numerous accomplishments of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef,” said Steve Wooten, 2021-2022 USRSB chair. “Through the goals-setting process and other efforts, we will continue to define beef’s important role in a sustainable food system.”

Newly elected officers include:

• Chair: Steve Wooten, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association 
• Chair-elect: Debbie Lyons-Blythe, Kansas Livestock Association 
• Secretary/Treasurer: Scott Anderson, Ph.D., CRI Feeders 
• Immediate Past Chair: Wayne Morgan, Ph.D., Golden State Foods 

Election results for the board of directors include:

• Kristie Maczko, Ph.D., Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable 
• Jessica Finck, Ph.D., Merck Animal Health
• Caitlin Colegrove, Target Corporation 
• Wayne Morgan, Ph.D., Golden State Foods 
• Nikki Richardson, JBS USA 

To explore more accomplishments of the organization, review the 2020 USRSB Annual Report.

Source: USRSB