Jay Theiler, executive vice president of corporate affairs for Agri Beef Company, was elected chairman of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) during the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference on Nov. 14. Theiler, based in Boise, Idaho, will serve as chairman for the 2025-26 term.
During the conference, Theiler recalled his early days with Agri Beef, when the company came to realize that it could not maximize the value of each head of livestock processed by selling product only in the Pacific Northwest, or even in the entire U.S.
“To get maximum value, we had to go to the international markets and include them in our sales,” Theiler said. “I did a lot of overseas trips in the early 2000s and many subsequent trips that laid the foundation for our success. When we traveled to Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, we would meet with USMEF staff, who would paint a landscape of the distributors in the market and help us set up appointments and meetings. USMEF was really an integral part of our company story and our brand story. And I tell you this today because it may serve as an inspiration for others on how to grow your business and how USMEF can help.”
Looking forward, Theiler said differentiating the quality of U.S. red meat is essential to continued expansion of the global customer base.
“The world doesn’t just buy U.S. meat because it’s available – they buy it because it’s exceptional,” he said. “Our U.S. red meat brand means something – it is the gold standard for quality, taste, safety, sustainability and reliability. Our beef, pork and lamb is sought out as incomes around the world grow. But we can’t take this for granted and we must continue to invest in international marketing, especially as our global competitors increase their quality and aim to compete with us.”
While emphasizing the need to diversify export destinations, Theiler also noted the importance of defending hard-earned market share with established trading partners.
“We cannot take our long-standing partners for granted,” Theiler said. “Markets like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico are vital and have been reliable trading partners for decades. We must continue to protect and strengthen those relationships, and we must keep earning their confidence and trust.”
Theiler succeeds Steve Hanson, a rancher and cattle feeder from southwestern Nebraska, as USMEF chair. The USMEF chair-elect for the coming year is Dave Bruntz, who raises corn and soybeans and feeds cattle in southeastern Nebraska. Bruntz is a past president of the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Cattlemen. The USMEF vice chair is Darin Parker, director of Salt Lake City-based exporter/distributor PMI Foods. The newest USMEF officer is Secretary-Treasurer Ross Havens, a cattle producer who serves as marketing coordinator for Nichols Farms in Bridgewater, Iowa.
