Miller named USMEF chairman

Miller named USMEF chairman    The U.S. Meat Export Federation has elected Keith Miller to chairman.
   Miller, a Barton County, Kan. farmer-stockman, became involved with USMEF in 2003. He has also been a member of the Kansas Farm Bureau for more than 20 years.
   “We’re looking at declining domestic red meat consumption (in the United States),” Miller said in a statement. “For farmers like me to remain profitable, we need to be ready to meet the demand of foreign consumers and provide them the product they’re looking for, not just what we want to supply them.”
   USMEF's top overseas markets are Japan, South Korea, China and Hong Kong, and the organization is actively marketing U.S. red meat products in new markets such as Australia, Brazil and Denmark. “Markets like Hong Kong, Japan and Korea are where the premiums are being paid for U.S. beef and pork,” Miller said.
   Miller also noted that by using USMEF's relationships with international importers, retailers and food service operators, it has been able to obtain significant investments to support U.S. programs overseas. In the past year alone, USMEF has gained $24.3 million in these “third-party” commitments to magnify the buying power of the U.S. investment.