- USGC programs in 1970s marked transformation of Asia's beef and dairy sectors.
In the early 1970s, the U.S. Grains Council was moving forward with a transition from the traditional policy of addressing programs toward the production sector to one that would take advantage of the growing industrialization of agriculture and the rise of consumerism worldwide. This called for a vastly expanded program to supply management and technology for large-scale commercialization of beef production in Europe and Asia. Specifically, a reorientation of the programs that included shifting focus to increasing the consumption of beef and dairy products instead of only stimulating demand for poultry and eggs. Expansion, diversification and intelligence became key words in the Council's new policy for growth. Two unusual programs were launched by the Council in 1971. One was a trial shipment of identity-preserved U.S. corn grown in DeKalb County, Ill., to Scottish distillers who had been using only South African white corn. The trial, juxtaposing U.S. corn and South African corn, proved U.S. corn as a higher quality feed ingredient. The second program turned out to be one of the Council's major triumphs. In October of that year, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the Council began a Korea and Japan calf project recommended by Sen. Henry Bellmon of Oklahoma. Three hundred U.S. calves weighing from 250 to 500 pounds were flown to Korea and fed over a 12-month period and then exported to Japan. The third party cooperator feeding the calves in Korea was reimbursed with FAS project funds. Known as the Daehan project, this program marked the first application in Asia of modern U.S. feedlot technology and management. It also was the first use of a computer to formulate least-cost beef cattle rations. The project also provided hands-on technical training regarding U.S. processing methods, carcass evaluation and cutting. Many consumer taste tests confirmed the acceptance of corn-fed beef by the Korean consumer. More importantly, it created an entirely new industry in Korea and established the pattern for beef cattle housing, management, nutrition and production techniques throughout Asia.