The US Meat Export Federation has a new chair.
Pat Binger of Wichita, Kansas succeeds Idaho cattle feeder Cevin Jones as chair of USMEF. Binger leads international meat sales for Cargill Protein North America, and says he?s excited about this new role for the year ahead.
?Following graduating from Northern State University in South Dakota in 1986, I joined Cargill?s red meat subsidiary called Excel Corporation,? Binger said. ?I have now been with Cargill for the better part of the past 33 years. For the past 11 years, I?ve been leading an international business segment for Cargill?s North America protein business located in Wichita, Kansas.?
?In 1991 while working in sales,? he continued, ?I was asked if I was interested in assuming some responsibilities for a small export business we had at the time. Although I didn?t have any export experience, I said ?absolutely.??
Binger says that while 2021 will be a challenging year for the red meat industry due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, he is optimistic about the prospects for further export growth.
?My thoughts on the year ahead, it?s likely to have a lot of noise in it,? Binger said. ?First and foremost, COVID-19. It was good to hear that there is a possible vaccine. We?re going to need that in order to really stabilize these markets, both from a demand perspective and from a supply perspective. We need to continue to expand our product mix and figure out ways to increase the utilization of the carcass.?
Binger began his term as USMEF chair at the conclusion of the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference, which was held virtually Nov. 10-13.
