1/3/08 Trying Veal

Trying Veal. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Dean Conklin - Executive Director of Veal Marketing for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association - says the Go-to-Market beef checkoff-funded veal program has enjoyed great successes in 2007. He says that's something to build upon entering 2008. CONKLIN: The beef funded Go-to-Market strategy has been very effective in the past year of incorporating veal on casual dining menus across the United States and I really think it's because of the way we've integrated research, veal promotion and veal public relations into a partnership with our national program and also with the state beef councils to really effectively get 4 new chains to put veal on the menu in 2007 and to take a look at exploring the possibilities of adding new veal items in 2008. The beef checkoff-funded Veal Optimization Study - completed in 2007 - built on the success of the previous beef muscle profiling study. Conklin says it not only helped the veal industry lay the foundation for some new cuts of veal out of the square cut chuck - but also to position these new cuts in various different outlets. CONKLIN: The research study really put a whole new light on that aspect of our program and really that's the primary focus of our entire marketing efforts now as we're beginning now this year to roll the research results out and to showcase these results to the veal industry, the veal packers, the veal processors, the food service distributors, the culinary schools and ultimately to the food service operator who would be able to put these new cuts on the menu. According to Conklin - The Michigan Beef Industry Commission - through the efforts of Promotion Manager George Quackenbush - just received a grant from the Federation to roll these new cuts of veal out in the state of Michigan. CONKLIN: We're very excited about this opportunity because it gives us a chance to market these new cuts in a state  to really leverage their relationships in a state, to really showcase these new cuts of veal. This grant is the first state grant that's become available to really tie in our new program and to really explore the possibilities of these new cuts in one state that will give us a great foundation to take that learning into other states and of course across the country as we roll these new veal cuts out through the fiscal year 2008 and beyond. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.