The Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast: Overcoming Challenges for the Viability of the Beef Industry - Don Schiefelbein

Overcoming Challenges for the Viability of the Beef Industry - Don Schiefelbein

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Don Schiefelbein is a true leader in the beef industry. He comes from a large family that works together on their diversified operation. Currently, there are about 80 family members who work together on the operation and he attributes many of his leadership skills to his experiences working with family and within breed associations. “I have a different belief than some about leadership. There are some people who go to seminars that focus on learning how a leader should think and act. I really think our world and the beef industry is in dire need of authentic leadership. When it comes to being a leader and getting followers behind you, there is nothing more important than being authentic. People need to know that leaders are authentic, walk the walk, talk the talk and have deep beliefs from within,” said Schiefelbein.

Schiefelbein has served in a variety of leadership roles from breed associations, and planning committees and currently, he serves as the past president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. His experiences serving in these positions have allowed him to understand which issues are of the greatest concern in the beef industry while improving his own ability to lead a group of people as authentically as it gets. Shiefelbein’s views on leadership are refreshing and humbling to both beginners and experienced leaders. “You need to earn and develop a license to lead and in our beef industry that means do you have a reputation of always being honest? Have you been straightforward? And do you answer questions straight up or dodge them?” said Schiefelbein. These words extend past the beef industry and apply to our nation and world as well.

The three main challenges Schiefelbein is concerned about for our industry include disease traceability, animal care and the amount of energy that is spent arguing within our industry instead of working towards a common goal.

Disease traceability has been a hot topic for years and there are a lot of disagreements about if and how it should be handled. “So many people see Boogie Man when they hear about disease traceability. I think of it as insurance to keep my family operation and the industry in business. I don’t think most people know or understand that the current plan entails shutting down for 72 hours if there is a disease outbreak. I don’t know that we could all survive the 72-hour shutdown and what it would take to get rolling again after the shutdown,” said Schiefelbein. Part of his concern around this topic stems from how well he knows and understands the enemies of the beef industry. “There are people out there who are working to shut us down and when they get a chance, they’ll pounce hard and fast before we even know what happened,” said Schiefelbein.

Animal care and sharing the truth about our industry to consumers is also a concern shared by Schiefelbein. “Over 50% of our population is 3 generations removed from agriculture. They don’t know how we think about and care for our animals. They have pets who are a part of their families. To them, all animals should be treated this well and our enemies use this mentality to connect with them and twist the narrative about what is true,” said Schiefelbein. As cattlemen and women, we need to position ourselves as authentic and credible sources for consumers to be trusted by them and connect them to the hands that feed them.

The amount of energy spent arguing within our industry as opposed to finding unity and common ground to move forward was the overarching concern throughout the entire conversation with Schiefelbein. “The beef industry is only 2% of the population, if you break that down three ways, you will never succeed in sharing the truth with and persuading the other 98%,” said Schiefelbien. It’s important to remember that this 98% includes not only consumers but also our elected officials on local, state, national and global levels. He encourages cattlemen and women to remember that conflict within boards and member organizations can be good and that if you don’t agree with how things are being run, don’t leave and start a new group. Get more involved yourself and recruit others who want to see change to get more involved too. “I believe in our industry that the majority are really good people, so we need to look at ourselves and our organizations and see where we failed at communicating when there are a lot of disagreements and misinformation being shared,” said Schiefelbein. This is expanded upon throughout the conversation as we discuss how people are getting information about the groups they are a part of, the nation and world in today’s age. “With the rise of podcasting, social media and the internet we can get people worked up easily. It doesn’t take long to have a group of 10,000 people chanting and following a person who has never served in a leadership office and may have the answers to a problem all wrong. It’s hard to turn the tide on a group of people like this,” said Schiefelbein. It is critical that we show up as leaders with facts, attend meetings when possible and seek out the truth. Once we have that truth, we share that truth even if it isn’t as flashy as misleading headlines and dramatized stories.

As the conversation wrapped up, Schiefelbein shared that even with all the improvements our industry needs to make, we should hands down be proud of how far we have come. “Our demand for beef is nothing short of startling. I lived through the 80s and early 90s when our demand was pathetic. Our whole industry has changed dramatically to better serve our beef consumers. People love our product and are willing to pay more for it. To me that is the most positive story that isn’t mentioned enough,” said Schiefelbein.

As you go about the rest of your day and build up your own leadership skills. Remember to focus on sharing the truth, be your authentic self and stand firm in moving the beef industry forward despite disagreements we have with our peers. “The differences in opinions we have are important to finding the solution. It’s a matter of taking these differences and working towards moving the industry forward as a whole for all of our sakes,” said Schiefelbein.

This episode is sponsored by Zoetis. Update your deworming protocol today by checking out their website. https://www.zoetisus.com/products/cattle/valcor-makes-it-easy-to-be-tough-on-tough-worms