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GranddaughterErin Borror works as an econo- mist for the U.S. Meat Ex- port Federation and was excited about the news that the 13 Costco ware- houses in Korea will be selling 100 percent U.S. chilled beef. This means 15,000 metric tons of U.S. beef new business for American beef produc- ers. The average weight of a live beef is 1,370 pounds. The following is the press release from USMEF. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF. org) is the trade associa- tion responsible for devel- oping international mar- kets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members repre- senting nine industry sec- tors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork produc- ing & feeding, lamb pro- ducing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds produc- ing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organiza- tions. Costco Expansion Pro- vides Even Greater Mo- mentum for U.S. Beef in Korea U.S. beef has been rap- idly building momentum in South Korea, and re- ceived a further boost this week as Costco officially began converting its im- ported chilled beef selec- tion from Australian beef to 100 percent U.S. prod- uct. The move follows a multi-year effort by US- MEF to persuade store managers that sales of U.S. beef — a popular item at Costco — would match or exceed Australian beef sales due to revived con- sumer confidence in the safety of U.S. beef. Costco currently has 13 warehouses in Korea, with two new locations sched- uled to open this year. On Feb. 13, Costco began transitioning two of those warehouses to 100 percent U.S. chilled beef. The oth- ers will be converted in May. In total, Costco's move represents an opportu- nity for about 15,000 met- ric tons (mt) of incremental new beef business in 2017, said Jihae Yang, USMEF di- rector in Korea. Yang noted that the theme of U.S. beef promotions in Korea has gradually moved from food safety to consumer enjoy- ment and product quality. "While USMEF still re- assures Korean consumers that U.S. beef is a safe prod- uct, we are now able to fo- cus more on the outstand- ing flavor of U.S. beef," Yang said. "Tasting dem- onstrations at Costco and other popular stores have been very successful in get- ting consumers to taste U.S. beef and increase awareness of our product." USMEF is also provid- ing support to Costco to ensure a smooth transition to U.S. chilled beef, help- ing re-acquaint customers with the full range of U.S. beef cuts. "Korean consumers love the high quality of U.S. beef and really enjoy the flavor of our product," added Dan Halstrom, US- MEF senior vice president for marketing. "In Korea, Costco is the gold standard when it comes to imaging food products, especially beef. USMEF, along with our partners in the U.S. beef industry, have been working hard to recapture market share in Korea. We've been able to do that, but mostly on the fro- zen side. The marquee items at Costco are the chilled beef cuts and we finally have that chilled section of the meat case back." U.S. beef exports to Ko- rea totaled 179,280 mt in 2016, up 42 percent year- over-year. Export value reached $1.06 billion, up 31 percent from a year ago and breaking the previous value record (from 2014) by 25 percent. Chilled beef exports to Korea totaled 24,572 mt in 2016, up 47 percent year- over-year, valued at $216.4 million (up 43 percent). U.S. beef captured 42 percent of Korea's im- ported beef market in 2016, up from 35 percent the previous year, while Australia's market share fell from 57 percent to 49 percent. But Yang notes there is still room for fur- ther growth, citing pre- BSE data from 2003. "Prior to the Decem- ber 2003 market closure, U.S. beef accounted for the majority of imported beef sales in Korea and 49 per- cent of total sales — in- cluding domestic beef," she explained. "So while U.S. beef has made excel- lent progress in Korea, the market still holds strong growth opportunities." Korea's per capita beef consumption set a new record in 2016 at more than 25 pounds (product weight), up about 5 per- cent year-over-year and in- creasing by one-third since 2009 — so U.S. beef is not only gaining market share, but also contributing to growth in overall con- sumption. Korea's demand for imported beef remains strong, and based on cus- toms clearance data U.S. beef topped Australian beef in Korea's January im- ports, continuing a trend that began late last year. "Regaining Costco's chilled beef business is a milestone on several fronts," says Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice presi- dent for the Asia Pacific re- gion. "Not only will U.S. sales soar at this iconic beef retailer, but Costco's beef merchandising deci- sions are a bellwether for overall Korean consumer sentiment toward U.S. beef." IndustryNews—PM More red meat, again, By Rita Jane Gabbett on Feb. 24 Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.29 billion pounds in January, up 6 percent from the 4.06 bil- lion pounds produced in January 2016, according to USDA's monthly Live- stock Slaughter report. Beef production, at 2.12 billion pounds, was 8 per- cent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter to- taled 2.58 million head, up 9 percent from Jan- uary 2016. The average live weight was down 11 pounds from the previous year, at 1,370 pounds. Pork production to- taled 2.15 billion pounds, 3 percent above the pre- vious year. Hog slaughter totaled 10.1 million head, 4 percent above January 2016. The average live weight was down 1 pound from the previous year, at 284 pounds. Lamb and mutton pro- duction, at 12.3 million pounds, was 9 percent above January 2016. Sheep slaughter totaled 177,000 head, 10 percent above last year. The average live weight was 138 pounds, down 1 pound from Janu- ary a year ago. Rodeo This weekend is the Jr. High and California High School Rodeo at Bob Jones Arena in Cottonwood. Free admission. We are excited that the California Jr. High State Finals Rodeo will be Mother's Day weekend at the Tehama District Fair- ground in Red Bluff. JeanBartonhasbeen writing her column in the Daily News since the early 1990s. She can be reached by e-mail at jbarton2013@ gmail.com. JEANBARTON US beef on shelves in South Korea stores While recreational mari- juana cannot be sold in Cal- ifornia until January 2018, existing medical marijuana growers and future recre- ational marijuana growers are eligible as of March 1 for PG&E's agricultural en- ergy rate. The passage of Proposi- tion 64 in November 2016 allows the state to license and regulate recreational marijuana cultivation and businesses. "Cannabis is a legal crop in our state, like almonds and tomatoes. Agricultural growers now will be eligi- ble for the same rate and en- ergy efficiency programs as farmers of other crops," said Deborah Affonsa, vice pres- ident of Customer Service. Customers are eligible for agricultural energy rates if they have received a permit from their local jurisdiction for the cultivation of can- nabis and if 70 percent or more of the annual energy use on the meter is for ag- ricultural end-uses such as growing crops, pumping water for agricultural ir- rigation or other uses that involve agricultural pro- duction for sale which do not change the form of the product. The agricultural energy rate applies both to customers who grow can- nabis outdoors and those who grow indoors in com- mercial greenhouses. The agricultural energy rate does not apply to resi- dential customers who can legally grow up to six mar- ijuana plants inside a pri- vate residence per the state Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Previously, medical mar- ijuana was not considered an agricultural product by PG&E, and growers were not eligible for the agricul- tural energy rate. Because medical marijuana can be grown and sold in Cali- fornia currently, licensed growers of medical mari- juana are immediately eli- gible for the agriculture en- ergy rate. Cannabis growing opera- tions can use an extremely large amount of electricity and are considered to be equivalent to other energy- intensive operations such as data centers. "We've met with repre- sentatives of the emerg- ing legal cannabis indus- try and listened to their needs. We are here to help our customers make smart, efficient and affordable en- ergy choices. Now that can- nabis is in California's fu- ture, our next step is to work with these new ag- ricultural customers and make this industry as en- ergy efficient as possible," said Affonsa. PG&E's agricultural rates are under the jurisdic- tion of the California Pub- lic Utilities Commission and the state of California. Agricultural customers with questions about rates, rules and energy efficiency programs can learn more at pge.com/ag or by call- ing PG&E's dedicated Ag- ricultural Customer Service Center at 1-877-311-3276. PG&E California cannabis growers eligible for agriculture energy rate The Food Safety Mod- ernization Act will change the way produce growers address food safety on their farms. A workshop at the Cal- ifornia State University, Chico Farm on March 9 will help students and growers navigate the changing regulations. Hosted by the Cali- fornia Certified Organic Farmers, this hands- on workshop will help producers understand on-farm food safety re- quirements, as well as help construct individu- alized food-safety plans for their operations. The $20 workshop is open to both organic and non-organic small to mid-sized producers who market directly to consumers, restaurants and local retail outlets. Registration is required by calling 831-423-2263. The March 9 food safety workshop will be followed the next day by a free workshop on wholesale success hosted by the North Valley Food Hub. Trainer Atina Dif- fley, an organic farmer and author of "Turn Here Sweetcorn: Or- ganic Farming Works" will help attendees iden- tify and meet the needs of wholesale produce buyers. To register for the March 10 workshop, call 774-7935 . Farmers attending ei- ther workshop will re- ceive a free Food Safety Binder as well as a copy of the "Wholesale Suc- cess" or "Direct Mar- ket Success" marketing manual. CHICO STATE Food safety, wholesale marketing workshops CONTRIBUTEDPHOTOBYERINBORROR Shoppers buying fresh US beef in a South Korea Costco. Costco currently has 13 warehouses in Korea, with two new locations scheduled to open this year. On Feb. 13, Costco began transitioning two of those warehouses to 100 percent U.S. chilled beef. The others will be converted in May. RUNNINGS ROOFING and CONSTRUCTION SheetMetalRoofing ResidentialCommercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane ServingTehamaCounty 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 NoMoney Down! "NoJobTooSteep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA.Lic#829089B&C39 STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. 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