Cattlemen and women tend to agree on many things — the love of cattle and the land, the way of life ranching and farming provides and the core values deeply woven into American agriculture. But we tend to let the few differences around markets or traceability or other controversial items, albeit important, divide us and consume much of our energy and attention.

An Angus breeder I know recognized a different attitude at the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Annual Conference in September. 

He said, “Everyone here is in the harness together and all pulling in the same direction.” 

His observation was spot-on.

The CAB conference is quite unique in that regard, and honestly I know of no other meeting like it. While the bulk of the more than 600 attendees are brand licensees representing some of the most progressive retail and foodservice partners in the world, there are producers in attendance along with packers and processors. Ultimately, every link in the beef supply chain is in the room and all exclusively focused on one brand — the Certified Angus Beef^® brand. 

There is no discussion about policy or other divisive topics. Most of the discussion and focus is on growing demand, protecting brand integrity and driving brand sales. The rest of the conference is spent celebrating individuals and companies that have successfully done so. 

Competitors and collaboration

There is an openness and collaboration amongst competitors. Chefs share their successes with other chefs. Foodservice distributors selling against each other share their recipe for sales training and effective promotions. Retailers in overlapping markets openly talk about ad campaigns that were most effective in driving sales and profit.

The result is one of the keys to CAB’s success. While not every attendee’s path to success is the same, because they share a vision, everyone wins. 

For the cattlemen at the conference, it is hard not to leave excited. It’s encouraging to know there is an army of brand partners who love our product just as much as we do. They are passionate about the CAB brand (so much so that more than one tattoo has been spotted) and committed to presenting our brand and product to consumers around the world. 

Ultimately their conviction comes from performance: a product that meets or exceeds a customer’s expectation, a brand that elevates their program, a consistency that builds repeat business, a team of professionals behind the brand committed to helping licensees be successful. All combined, CAB is a program that drives their business and makes them money.

While the conference only lasts three days, the collaboration, excitement and optimism are enough to keep you charged up for a long time. The event illustrates what can be accomplished when we work together, share our experiences and knowledge, focus on our similarities instead of debating our differences, and all pull together.