Nebraska Cattlemen
Work On Beef Label

LINCOLN, Neb. —(AP)— Folks who grow oranges for a living generally don't know beans about raising cattle, but Nebraska's beef producers are taking a page from the citrus industry in hopes of selling more meat.

The Nebraska Cattlemen association is working on a program to sell meat under a "Nebraska Cornfed Beef" label in supermarkets, akin to the labels used to win consumer loyalty for such items as Sunkist citrus fruits, Ocean Spray cranberry products and Dole pineapples.

"We just think it's time we show the consumer that we produce quality beef consistently," said Dave Hamilton, head of association's Nebraska Cornfed Beef Committee. "We want to guarantee that with a label."

Hamilton said the program will give ranchers an incentive to produce cattle for the quality of their meat, not just their weight. The program will set requirements on how much corn each animal is to be fed and how it is to be raised.

The association is working with IBP Inc. of Dakota City, Neb., the nation's largest meatpacker, and hopes to be selling under the Nebraska label by late this year, Hamilton said.

Labeling is not totally new to the meat industry.

Consumers have bought Butterball turkeys and Tyson chickens for years.

Some upper-end steaks in supermarkets now sport brand names such as Sterling Silver or carry the gold trademarked label of the Certified Angus Beef Program.

But as it now stands, 95 percent of the beef sold in the United States is sold as a commodity, shipped in lots to restaurants and supermarkets with no clue as to its origin, Hamilton said. "It's just the opposite in other industries," he said.

Nebraska, with about 6.5 million cattle, is the nation's second-leading beef producer behind Texas. The goal is to market 52,000 head a year within two years and help boost slumping sales in the $31 billion beef industry, Hamilton said.

He said strict standards and tracking will help ensure the safety of meat sold under the Nebraska label.

"We want to produce as safe a product as we can. That is issue number one with consumers" Hamilton said. "We'll be tracking cattle from birth to processing. And if there is ever anything wrong, we can go back and solve the problem."