Top 10 Takeaways From the 2025 Annual Meat Conference

Crystal Ackerman – Sprouts Farmers Market
Sandra Sage – Clemens Food Group
Shannon Toth – Kroger
Megan Witt – Johnsonville Sausage

AMC 2025 kicked off with the first official event, the Women’s Meat Industry Network Luncheon (open to all attendees). A panel of female industry experts discussed the importance of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in the workplace. An ERG is an employee-led group that provides a space for employees with a shared interest to support each other. ERGs in companies can be any group such as women, parents, veterans, etc. Panelists discussed how involvement in ERGs can help move a business forward while also improving employee satisfaction. Investing a few hours can go a long way in making a difference. Members of WMIN have access to more resources through their membership account page.  To learn more visit www.wmin.org.

Kelly McDonald – McDonald Marketing

Differences go beyond just ethnicity and gender – we have introverts vs. extroverts, morning people vs. night owls, etc. The speaker gave five practical tips for working with people who are not like you:

1. It can be uncomfortable. That’s not bad, it’s normal.
2. Focus on conversations, not debates. Use statements like “I see it differently” and “tell me more about that” to start the dialogue.
3. Adapt to others and their differences – McDonald used a great example of how most women like to have a lot of choices whereas men want the choices narrowed down for them.
4. Talk straight – use simple and specific language.
5. Build collaboration with statements like “Can you help me?” vs. saying “I need your help.”

Anne-Marie Roerink – 210 Analytics 

In this epic presentation, the tradition of the Power of Meat Study at AMC continues in its 20^th year. Anne-Marie used 20 years of trends, along with consumer surveys and shopper videos to recap 2024 meat performance. Overall, it was a banner year across the board for meat and poultry, with a decline in alternative meat option sales.

The consumer target is changing, with millennials accounting for 62% of the additional growth in meat sales. Millennials approach meat very differently; their current stage of life requires more convenience items. All consumers are cooking more at home and looking to the meat and deli departments to cross-merchandise options for quick and easy protein options. Consumers are also adapting the way they purchase meat, balancing the line between convenient, healthy and affordable. This year’s data also shows a shift in how consumers think about the healthfulness of meat, believe that meat is a healthy choice and a good source of nutrients. Additional consumer support is needed, however, to address both health and sustainability call-outs on packaging. Easier to understand language around claims like “regenerative ag” is also needed.

Shalene McNeill – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Tim Goodnight – Open Range Beef
Leeann Saunders – Where Food Comes From, Inc.

Interest in nutrition and health is at an all-time high and meat IS the opportunity. More than 80% of consumers plan to eat more or maintain their beef consumption levels. Seventy-one percent of consumers are focusing on consuming protein.  The meat industry will benefit from using labeling to capitalize upon this opportunity to educate consumers. Certifications and verifications are also important and should be part of the overall brand story. Sixty-three percent of people want to know more about where their food comes from and 83% look for “better for you” attributes.

Melissa Brewer – Certified Angus Beef, LLC
Reba Hatcher – ButcherBox OpCo LLC
Donna Moenning – The Center for Food Integrity
Jacque Matsen – Relate Strategies, LLC

Consumers want genuine information they can trust. Fourteen percent of the population falls into the “Authenticity Seeker” segment, wanting authentic information firsthand. Forty-three percent falls into the “Comfort Seeker” category where they trust labels, family, online influencers and look for data that confirms their own food preferences.

When talking with consumers, just be yourself. Be a person first and an expert second. Lead with your values and be transparent when your customers have questions. Try to communicate as clearly as possible. Don’t be intimidated to be an advocate for our industry – we have to step up, because if we don’t, other voices will drown out our message.

Josh McCann – Symphony AI
Gary Hawkins – Center for Advancing Retail & Technology, LLC

AI is augmenting what we as humans can do by enabling us to do far more, faster and more effectively and it is growing exponentially. If you aren’t using AI, the time is now. Retailers are using AI-powered chatbots for vendor negotiation, personalized promotions for consumers, and analyzing sales as a category manager. We can expect AI to drive the future of connected retail by improving workflows. 

Randy Blach – Chief Executive Officer, CattleFax
Lee Schulz – Chief Economist, Ever.Ag.
Christine McCracken – Executive Director, Protein Analyst, Rabobank
Brian Earnest – Lead Protein Industry Analyst, CoBank

Meat consumption has had an impressive growth spurt despite higher prices, and individual meat consumption is predicted to continue to grow. The way consumers shop for meat is evolving as consumer spending is back to pre-pandemic levels. Our consumer is also changing as the population is getting older.

Poultry: Despite the fact that U.S. poultry is facing a number of factors (bird flu, threats of trade disruption and several regulatory issues) it is positioned for a very positive year. Chicken is universally the protein of choice. Domestic demand for poultry is strong and Rabobank predicts poultry will continue to win as a as a low-cost versatile protein.

Pork: In 2024, consumers ate more pork compared to prior year and when we adjust for inflation, prices were actually lower per pound. The pork cutout value is relatively strong (+$3.41, week ending March 21, 2025 vs. March 22, 2024) with growth in ham and bellies. In 2024, pork exports hit record highs for volume and value. Export volume is forecasted to be up by another 1.5% in 2025. The U.S. exports 26% of pork produced.

Beef: 2024 saw the second strongest beef demand in 34 years! U.S. and global consumers remain willing to pay for quality. Steer and heifer slaughter was up 70,000 head in 2024, however CattleFax is predicting it will be down 700,000 head in 2025 with numbers expected to improve in 2027.  Exports remain of importance with beef as well with the U.S. exporting 11% of total beef produced. The talk of tariffs has increased the volatility in the market, making forecasting difficult.

Sarah Menard – Kayem Foods
Neil Stern – Good Food Holdings, LLC
Jarrod Gillig – Cargill Food North America
Matt Monkiewicz – Kayem Foods Inc

Executives in the meat industry answered questions about navigating all the changes in meat at retail. When we think about it, the last 5-6 years have been tumultuous with Covid-19 and now inflation. Many companies have been forced to react instead of being proactive with collaboration. Retailers are focused on offering the consumer an answer to the daily question – what am I going to eat today and how am I going to do that to fit my budget, nutritional needs and time constraints. Another focus for retailers is convenience. The consumer wants a peek behind the curtain and what is really happening there. How can we educate consumers so they better understand product claims. With the changing industry, the overall advice provided by the panel executives is to lean into the fast-paced speed of change and be nimble as the industry advances.

Austin Allred – Royal Family Farming
Nancy Himmelfarb – Himmelfarb Sustainability Consulting
Paul Greive – Pasturebird

As we learned in the Power of Meat and other sessions, many consumers have very little knowledge of “Regenerative Agriculture” and actually their interpretation was quite the opposite of what it actually is. In this session, Royal Family Farming and Pasturebird showed how they are both using regenerative agriculture to “maximize God’s natural systems.” It’s beneficial for farmers to reduce their dependency on outside sources and utilize carbon, the fundamental building block to grow food. From vermicomposting utilizing worms and mobile chicken coops rotated daily, these companies show the importance of regenerative agriculture and sustainability in the industry. Within this sector, it’s so important to make sure you are getting credit for the work you’re doing. Educate consumers about regenerative agriculture to tell your brand story in a simple way.  

Ron Elving – NPR

In this session, we delved into the ever-changing world of politics. We explored what President Trump has done so far with executive orders and bills. We looked ahead at uncertainties like tariffs and how they could impact the meat industry, especially with countries like Canada and Mexico who are major importers to the U.S. Trump’s “America First” strategy including tariffs and trade wars are really part of his larger reinvention of the U.S. and how we relate to the rest of the world.  The potential of import taxes could potentially cause U.S. cattle producers to purchase more cattle domestically or for other countries to lower their price to account for this tax to remain competitive. Having a contingency plan and being ready to pivot based on these changes is crucial.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, there are certainly some unknowns, but possibilities like a government shut down and decreased bipartisanship could impact the meat industry as well. Will Canada become the 51^st state? What will happen with Greenland and the Panama Canal? Things are rapidly evolving in the political world – stay current on updates and plan for different scenarios so you can act quickly when changes occur.