Panelists: Sara Place, PhD (Colorado State University AgNext), Steve Wooten (Beatty Canyon Ranch), Myriah Johnson, PhD (Farm Credit Services of America)

9:00 – 10:00 am - Collaboration across North America and Global Roundtables

Moderator: Samantha Werth, PhD (USRSB)

Panelists: Monica Hadarits (Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef), Ruaraidh Petre (Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef)

10:00 – 10:20 am - Networking break

10:20 – 11:20 am - Breakout sessions

Room #1: Recognition Program

Room: Grand Ballroom
Moderators: Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, PhD (Elanco) and Rob Manes (The Nature Conservancy)

Introduction and background on the Recognition Program

10:20-10:30 am: Opening remarks from Recognition Program co-chairs, Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, PhD (Elanco) and Rob Manes (The Nature Conservancy)

Feedyard and Packer/Processor Programs

10:30-10:40 am: Robert Wells, PhD, PAS (Integrity Beef Legacy)
10:40-10:50 am: Kristen Parmen (Livestock Marketing Association)
10:50-11:00 am: Question and answer

Feedyard and Packer/Processor Programs

11:00-11:10 am: Ben Weinheimer (Texas Cattle Feeders Association)
11:10-11:20 am: Nikki Richardson (JBS)
11:20-11:30 am: Question and answer

Certification Programs

11:30-11:40 am: Lora Wright/Leanne Saunders (Where Food Comes From)
11:40-11:50 am: Valerie Smith/Diane Hanson (Food Safety Net Services)
11:50 am-12:00 pm: Question and answer

Closing Discussion

12:00-12:15 pm: Group question and answer
12:15-12:20 pm: Closing remarks

Description: Listen in on this panel of industry leaders as they discuss the USRSB Recognition Program, the value of demonstrating alignment with the U.S. Beef Industry Sustainability Framework and the importance of our collective effort for continuous improvement. Join the discussion to learn more about how your organization can demonstrate progress toward your sustainability goals and share your thoughts on how the Recognition Program can provide even more value to your organization and to the beef industry supply chain.

Room #2: Collaborating around problems and problems of collaboration

Room: Whitewater
Speaker: Jared Talley, PhD (Boise State University)
Description: Collaboration requires a broad array of people to work together to solve problems. But, just what is a problem? Problems do not exist in the world independently of people, instead being complex combinations of situations, values and solutions. By understanding the interplay between the three – situations, problems, solutions – we stand to better navigate the tensions that often arise in collaborative spaces. Respectfully and intentionally confronting diverse values and beliefs is necessary to support the co-learning that must take place in these spaces. Grazing management in the American West is rife with conflicting beliefs and values and attention must be paid to the ways that these promote tension and the ways that we can work together – collaborate – through this tension. This talk analyzes problems both conceptually as well as through community-led monitoring programs and predator-livestock conflicts, ending with directed discussion and activity in order to engage the audience in the art of collaboration so that we, together, can solve the pressing problems we face.

Room #3: Sustainability: The human element

Room: Riverfork
Moderator: Myriah Johnson, PhD (Farm Credit Services of America)
Speakers: Austin Flores, MBA, SHRM-CP (Grimmius Cattle Company), Martin Maquivar,PhD (Washington State University), Dean Fish, PhD (Santa Fe Foundation)
Description: Applying modern cattle husbandry techniques requires passionate farmers and ranchers, and for many operations an empowered and educated workforce. It is people who truly make the difference in driving powerful, positive change for our industry. Join this session to hear from a panel of experts in HR, onboarding, stockmanship and animal science, all of whom possess the skills necessary to hire, develop and train a diverse work force. Come prepared with questions to engage in a lively discussion after each panelist provides a short presentation highlighting lessons learned in their respective roles.

11:20 am – 12:20 pm - Breakout sessions

Room #1: Recognition Program

Room: Grand Ballroom

Room #2: Communication: Collaboration in communication

Room: Whitewater
Moderator: Danette Amstein (Midan Marketing)
Lara Moody (iFEEDER), Amy Skoczlas Cole (Trust in Beef), Kristi Block (Protein PACT)

Room #3: Sustainability: The human element

Room: Riverfork

12:20 pm – 1:40 pm - Lunch

1:40 pm – 2:40 pm - Public lands and grazing management plans!

Moderator: Darcy Helmick (Simplot)
Panelists: Kristie Maczko, PhD (Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable), Ira Wines (Ellison Ranch), Kaitlynn Glover (Public Lands Council), Robbert Mickelsen (U.S. Forest Service)
Description: Federal agencies have many different approaches to and requirements for Grazing Management Plans (GMPs) for public lands grazing permits, across and even within the same agencies. These permits tend to have little flexibility from year-to-year and it is difficult for both agency staff and permittees to make changes to improve management. Given these constraints, what opportunities does the USRSB and its partners have to influence more sustainable outcomes for public lands grazing? Should Federal GMPs “count” towards the acreage in the USRSB goals? How can we collaborate to influence better GMPs that improve outcomes for agencies, permittees, community economic health, and the environment?

2:40 pm – 3:40 pm - Societal role of meat

Moderator: Eric Mittenthal (ProteinPACT)
Panelists: Jason Rowntree, PhD (Michigan State University), Gbola Adesogan, PhD (University of Florida | Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences), Glynn Tonsor, PhD (Kansas State University)
Description: As consumer concerns on how to reduce their environmental impacts grow and companies continue to set lofty greenhouse gas reduction goals, consideration of the societal role of meat, especially beef, has become an increasingly important topic. For a complex system, such as beef production, it is critical to consider every facet of sustainability and to ensure the highest standard of science-based evidence to help inform society of the role beef can play in a sustainable food system. In October of 2022, an international delegation of scientists and representatives across the livestock supply chain convened in Dublin, Ireland to discuss forthcoming research in this space. Join us for this special Day 1 closing keynote discussion, featuring academics from a variety of disciplines, to take a deep dive into what the science says about the societal role of meat.

3:40 pm – 4:00 pm - Networking break

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm - USRSB General Assembly business meeting

5:00 – 7:00 pm - Cocktail reception

thursday, may 4

General Assembly – Day 2

7:00 – 8:15 am - Breakfast

7:00 – 8:15 am - Working group meetings

8:15 – 8:25 am - Welcome and reconvene

Debbie Lyons-Blythe, 2022/2023 USRSB chair, Kansas Livestock Association

8:25 – 9:20 am - Leveraging data and building sustainable genetic tools through supply chain collaboration

Moderator: Chip Kemp (International Genetic Solutions)
Panelists: Matthew Cleveland, PhD (ABS Global), Shane Bedwell (American Hereford Association), Troy Rowan, PhD (University of Tennessee), Scott Howard, PhD (Meyer Natural Foods)
Description: Genetics provide a powerful tool for long-term advances in beef sustainability. But what data voids currently exist in the beef supply chain, preventing adoption of genetic tools? How can we refine genetic tools to point towards more sustainable beef production? Join us for a special panel featuring experts in across the beef supply chain to learn how the industry can collaborate towards a more sustainable future using the original sustainability technology, genetics.

9:20 – 10:15 am - Block-chain for more sustainable beef: A value chain sustainability scorecard

Moderator: Cristian Barcan (RaboBank)
Panelists: Mike John (MFA Incorporated), Tom McDonald (Five Rivers Cattle Feeding), Rob Cannell, PhD (National Beef), Sara Place, PhD (Colorado State University AgNext)
Description: As the beef industry seeks to demonstrate sustainability and climate progress, being able to credibly measure and track the performance and continuous improvement of one’s supply chain is major challenge. Traceability goes hand in hand with sustainability performance in order to provide an accurate, aggregated, and transparent view of the supply chain so that processors and brand owners can confidently market more sustainable and lower impact beef. This panel features leaders from across the beef value chain who will share their perspective on where we are today and paint a picture of what tomorrow might look like as a US beef industry.

10:15 – 10:35 am - Networking break

10:35 – 11:30 am - Climate-smart beef

Moderator: Chad Ellis (Texas Agricultural Land Trust)
Panelists: Amy Skoczlas Cole (Trust in Food), Amanda Blair, PhD (South Dakota State University), Patrick Keyser, PhD (University of Tennessee | Institute of Agriculture), Jacob Gilley (American Farmland Trust)