As the Sunbelt Ag Expo wrapped up this past week, Wyatt Doolittle of the Georgia Beef Board reflects on the impact made over the past few weeks.
“Yeah, you know, October is always a busy month for us at the Beef Board, and we just wrapped up the Ag Expo down in Moultrie. You know, coming off that 11-day run at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, I can tell you it’s a welcome change of pace,” reflected Doolittle.
“You know, at the fair, we spend the better part of two weeks talking directly with consumers and we’re answering all those tough questions about them and sometimes just helping folks better understand where their food comes from. But it’s nice to get down to the Sunbelt. It just feels like coming home,” Doolittle said.
Doolittle added, “You know, instead of spending the day explaining agriculture to folks who may never have set foot on a farm, you’re surrounded by people who live it every single day. And for me, that’s the best part about the Sunbelt. You run into folks that you haven’t seen in a year, catch up on how their cattle are doing, talk about the markets, the challenges facing our industry, and honestly, some of the wins from the year. And those conversations don’t have an agenda. You’re not trying to sell anything or give a presentation. You’re just standing around talking cattle with the people who understand the business.”
“And for us at the Beef Board, it’s a great reminder of why we do what we do. We spend a tremendous amount of time working to build consumer confidence and demand for beef. But at the end of the day, we’re doing that work on behalf of our cattle producers who fund the checkoff,” Doolittle mentioned.
“And being able to visit with those producers and hear what’s on their minds and just talk about where their checkoff dollars are going is just as important as the consumer education that we’ve been doing all month. So, to everybody who stopped by and visited with us at the Sunbelt, we certainly appreciate it. And after a long stretch of talking beef with consumers, it sure was good to get back home,” said Doolittle.
Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.