U.S. beef still the preferred world choice

Tonight I ate dinner with a visiting missionary from Thailand, and took him to a medium-range U.S. steakhouse. It was sure all right, but definitely not in the Morton's, Ruth's Chris or Capitol Grille class.

We were just getting acquainted, and before he found out the breadth of my experience in the beef business, he proceeded to regale me with how one of his favorite benefits in visiting the U.S. is the beef. He travels the world, particularly Asia, but says he cannot beat beef in the U.S., especially for the price.

A good U.S. beef steak in Thailand, if you can find one, is very pricey. My daughter lives there, and I went there for Christmas to see her. We always have Prime Rib for Christmas dinner, and she wanted to continue that tradition. It was costly for a U.S. meal of imported U.S. beef, but worth it. Not having eaten U.S. beef for a year, my daughter was doubly impressed. But at some $40 a piece in Thailand, you sure wouldn't do it very often.

We in the U.S. beef industry trumpet these facts all the time, but sometimes we forget how consumers from other countries feel about our beef.

I was reminded tonight, and we must not forget that we do produce a vaunted and valued product. We must not let our guard down. Then we will surely continue to profit from foreign marketing. Definitely, the market is there and U.S. beef is the first choice.