Bedford – The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) in partnership with Sysco Philadelphia, provided 40 foodservice professionals, including both marketing associates and their customers, an up-close look at the Pennsylvania Beef Community. The beef immersion event was the reward to a 5-week beef and veal sales incentive program that wrapped up mid-October. The program resulted in Sysco Philadelphia achieving a 4,000-lb. increase in beef sales and moved 511 new cases of veal. The group spent the day at Herr Angus Farm, a division of Herr Foods, a family-owned snack food company located in Nottingham, PA. The farm, which is home to 150 brood cows and a one-time capacity to feed 600 head of cattle, offered both cow/calf and feedlot aspects for tour attendees to gain a better understanding of the beef cattle lifecycle.
The event kicked off on Wednesday, November 8th, as Sysco Philadelphia and PBC staff led attendees through an educational session on the Beef Checkoff Program and how the entire beef community works together in tandem to ensure safe, wholesome and delicious beef. After building a foundation of the beef community and beef as a powerful protein, Dennis Byrne, Farm Manager at Herr Angus, took the group on a farm tour. The tour showcased the deep history of the farm and the best management practices that go into their daily tasks while caring for the cattle.
Attendees enjoyed a beef brisket lunch followed by a candid Q&A session with a panel of industry experts. The panel included Dennis Byrne, Farm Manager; Jim Hogue, Beef Nutritionist and Co-owner of Agri-Basics, Inc; and Dr. Dave Wolfgang, State Veterinarian, PA Department of Agriculture. The Q&A allowed attendees to get their questions answered by industry experts to equip them to communicate and advocate that same science-based message with their customers.
The beef immersion event engaged the foodservice community by allowing them to see first-hand how beef is raised and by meeting the people behind beef. “Our goal is to be a trusted voice for beef and bring the beef community together. Nichole Hockenberry, PBC Director of Channel Marketing and Communications, remarked, “We feel that this positive and memorable experience will make a meaningful impact on future beef purchasing decisions in the foodservice sector.”
To learn more about the Pennsylvania Beef Council, visit www.pabeef.org. For more information about beef & beef foodservice, visit www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com.
The Pennsylvania Beef Council is a producer-controlled and funded organization, which administers the Beef Checkoff Program in Pennsylvania. The Beef Checkoff Program assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.
Source: The Pennsylvania Beef Council