The US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is introducing a landmark initiative to advance sustainable beef across the US beef value chain.

The newly published "Innovation in the US Beef Value Chain: A Sustainable Beef Research Roadmap" provides a strategic, science-based framework to guide industrywide research and collaborative efforts that support continuous improvement in beef sustainability.

“This is more than just a research agenda. It’s a roadmap built by and for the beef value chain,” said Samantha Werth, executive director of USRSB. “It brings together producers, industry professionals and supply chain partners around a shared vision for sustainability that’s driven by innovation, grounded in science and focused on real-world impact.”

While centered on environmental sustainability, this roadmap also focuses on enhancing efficiency, producer profitability and strengthening industrywide collaboration. It provides a practical framework for guiding research investments, supporting innovation and promoting measurable progress at all levels of the US beef value chain.

To inform the development of the roadmap, USRSB partnered with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research to convene academic and industry experts through a stakeholder-driven process. This included three public virtual focus groups and an in-person workshop that brought together 80 experts from 50 organizations. Insights from these sessions helped USRSB evaluate the current state of science and identify data gaps and research opportunities within cow-calf, stocker, backgrounder and feedyard operations, ultimately shaping the roadmap as a tool to align efforts and accelerate progress across the beef supply chain.

“Industry alignment around research priorities is essential to drive meaningful progress,” said Jasmine Bruno, scientific program director at FFAR. “This roadmap is a powerful example of how science and collaboration can come together to guide innovation and ensure the sustainability of beef production across the entire value chain.”

The roadmap reflects the most urgent research needs within the live animal stages of beef production and across three key environmental indicators: Air & Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Resources and Water Resources.

“The release of this roadmap is only the beginning. It was designed as a resource for the entire beef supple chain to utilize and come together around shared priorities,” said Werth. “Its value lies in helping all of us – whether producers, researchers, or partners – promote the tools, knowledge and technologies that will help continue to advance sustainable beef.”

Source: US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef