GREELEY, Colo. — Colorado Corn Administrative Committee (CCAC) President Mike Lefever and CCAC Vice President Troy Schneider this month presented a check for $15,000 to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) – an organization whose projects focus on growing meat exports in developing countries.
With this recent contribution – which took place at the Colorado Livestock Association’s annual banquet – CCAC has contributed $94,000 total to USMEF in recent years.
“This check presentation served as yet another opportunity to highlight the relationship and correlation between the success of the livestock industry and that of corn producers,” said Schneider, who farms in Yuma and Washington counties. “The livestock industry remains the largest purchaser of U.S. grain corn, while the vast majority grown here in the Centennial State goes to local livestock operations. Furthermore, exports play a vital role for both grain corn and livestock producers in Colorado.”
Agricultural exports have a $1.7 billion impact on Colorado’s economy, and three of the state’s top five ag-export sectors in Colorado are livestock- and livestock feed-related, with No. 1 being beef, No. 3 being feeds and fodder, and No. 5 being dairy products.
This year’s $15,000 contribution will specifically assist the USMEF with promotions and consumer messaging for American beef at COSTCO stores in South Korea.
In recent years, CCAC has supported USMEF in a variety of beef-promoting projects in Japan, Taiwan and the Caribbean, and also helped fund research on other countries’ meat-grading systems, and the development of international beef-cut education products.
The Colorado Corn Administrative Committee oversees how Colorado’s corn check-off dollars (one penny per bushel of grain corn produced in the state) are spent on research, outreach and other various endeavors, including market development projects.
Since only 2011, CCAC has invested more than $800,000 in market development efforts aimed at building demand for grain corn – corn that’s primarily used for livestock feed and biofuels (not the sweet corn people eat off the cob). These market development projects include promoting the livestock and meat industries through support of USMEF, the All-American Beef Battalion, and U.S. Grains Council.
The CCAC’s market development endeavors also aim to promote biofuels, with projects that have helped bring additional higher-blend ethanol pumps to Colorado fuel stations, evaluated ethanol as a substitute in diesel engines, and demonstrated flex-fuel engine efficiency potential with E85 (fuels that’s 85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline).
— Colorado Corn Administrative Committee
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