Last week, Gov. Pete Ricketts proclaimed May as Beef Month in Nebraska at a ceremony to recognize the important role the beef community contributes to the state. Nebraska Agriculture Director Greg Ibach and representatives for Nebraska Cattlemen and Nebraska Beef Council joined the Governor for the proclamation signing.

"Agriculture is Nebraska's number one industry and beef is our state's largest agricultural sector," Ricketts said. "This is a great time to celebrate beef and recognize the hard-working men, women, and families in Nebraska who continue to grow the industry throughout the beef supply chain. Through their work, Nebraska is feeding the world."

CELEBRATING BEEF: "Agriculture is Nebraska's number one industry and beef is our state's largest agricultural sector," Ricketts said. "This is a great time to celebrate beef and recognize the hard-working men, women, and families in Nebraska who continue to grow the industry throughout the beef supply chain. Through their work, Nebraska is feeding the world."

Top beef state
Nebraska continues to rank first in the nation in cattle on feed and was second in cattle production in 2014 at $7.4 billion. In 2015, Nebraska broke the $1 billion mark in overall beef exports for the second year in a row. Every dollar of beef exported from Nebraska generates up to $1.42 in additional business activity in the state.

"Every time we are able to export more beef from Nebraska, we also are adding value to the feed grain that is grown here," said Ibach. "We know from our interaction with buyers and influencers in Japan, Asia, and Europe, that beef from Nebraska resonates with them, and is gaining a strong reputation as a premium product. This is opening more doors for us in new and existing overseas markets."

Japan continues to be the number one importer of Nebraska's beef, followed by South Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico, and the European Union.

"We appreciate the Governor recognizing the importance of beef to Nebraska by proclaiming May as Beef Month," said Chairman of the Nebraska Beef Council, Buck Wehrbein of Waterloo. "The state's farmers and ranchers not only work diligently to produce premium-quality, great tasting beef products, but they also contribute significant amounts of the time and resources to promote and market these products nationally and internationally."

Telling the beef story
Barb Cooksley, a rancher from Anselmo and president of Nebraska Cattlemen, says Beef Month offers a great opportunity for the state's producers to help consumers learn where their beef comes from.

"We understand the growing interest from consumers in wanting to know where and how cattle are being raised to produce the great tasting beef they feed their families," said Cooksley. "We want them to know we use the best production practices to make sure we raise healthy animals."

Source: Nebraska Governor's Office