Today, I round up the latest in headlines that relate to the beef cattle industry. From new marketing tactics from the fake meat camp to consumers demanding more beef, this week’s headlines are a mixed bag. Check them out and let me know what you think!

1. “This children’s book wants to inspire future cell-based meat makers” by the Green Queen

“The book is taking the typical question of children where different foods, in this case, hot dogs, come from into a different direction than what you would expect as an answer if the hot dogs were produced in a conventional way,” explains Shirazi, who hosts the Cultured Meat and Future Food Podcast. “Instead of a story that no one would like to hear, it takes a different direction and turns a family BBQ into a science story where the mom explains how hot dogs are made with cellular agriculture technologies which has a happy ending for everyone involved, including the cow.”

2. “Companies from Beyond Meat to Beyond Yoga are finding success with ‘beyond’ branding, but marketers say the buzzword may be past its prime” by Market Watch

“If it’s crap, it doesn’t matter what the name is,” says Ashish Prashar, global chief marketing officer at R/GA, an innovation consultancy firm.

3. “Tyson foods sees beef demand rising, chicken falling” by FOX Business

Related:Consumers want beef, Impossible Foods headed to schools

According to FOX, “Tyson Foods says it will boost its beef production in fiscal 2021 after its third-quarter beef sales volume surged 24% to $4.95 million, up from $3.65 million a year ago, due to strong global demand and "reduced production inefficiencies associated with COVID-19."

4. “When Americans turn on the grill, beef comes first” by CBS News

CBS reports, “For many Americans, summer means it's time for outdoor grilling — so, what foods do Americans most like to grill? They say beef is their favorite food to barbecue: it's the choice of 39% of Americans, over chicken at 27%. Fewer Americans pick pork (11%), vegetables (10%), or fish (10%).”

5. “U.S. beef and pork exports on record pace through June” by News Dakota

News Dakota writes, “U.S. red meat exports closed the first half of the year on a strong note, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Although volume and value eased from April and May, export value was still the highest on record for the month of June, and first-half shipments established a record pace for both beef and pork.”

6. “In Congress, 'Made in the USA' beef labeling is back on the menu” by Tom Luted for KPVI

Lutey reports, “A renewed, made-in-America beef labeling push is drawing support from Montana’s Republican congressmen. The latest version of the USA Beef Act was introduced last week. The bill, authored by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds. R-South Dakota, requires that any beef sporting a ‘Product of the USA’ label originate from a United States ranch. Currently, the labels are applied to beef processed at United States meatpacking plants, regardless of whether the cattle are from another country. The bill was first introduced in 2019.”

Related:Connecting with kids to promote ag literacy in a pandemic

The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Farm Progress.