Omaha... beef supplier to Olympians

Discussion of current events, news, the latest happenings in Omaha

Moderators: Coyote, nebugeater, Brad, Omaha Cowboy, BRoss

Post Reply
eomaha
County Board
Posts: 4200
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 10:29 am
Location: West Omaha

Omaha... beef supplier to Olympians

Post by eomaha »

If you're a vegetarian... or one of those who would rather not have Omaha known for it's agricultural side... don't read this. :)

From the World Herald...

Nebraska beef going to Greece Olympics

Nebraska beef will be on the menu for Olympic athletes and spectators this month in Athens, Greece.

The Greater Omaha Packing Co. announced Monday that the meatpacker will be the only provider of U.S. beef at the Olympic Games, which begin Aug. 13.

"We will be sending a message that American beef is among the finest in the world," said Henry Davis, chief executive of Greater Omaha Packing. "It is a great opportunity to showcase high-quality beef from Nebraska to an international audience."

Greater Omaha Packing could ship as much as 400,000 pounds of beef for the Games, though an exact amount has not been determined because orders keep coming in, Davis said.

"It will be showcased by several different companies," Davis said.

Despite a general ban on U.S. beef by more than 50 countries because of a case of mad-cow disease last December, some avenues of beef exports have remained open, including meatpackers certified to ship to the European Union.

Greater Omaha Packing is the largest beef processor certified to export to European Union countries. It also is the only U.S. meatpacker shipping to Greece, Davis said.

The European Union requires that, in order for beef to be certified, livestock must be free of growth hormones, their origin can be traced from birth to processing, and there are on-site reviews. Of the fewer than a dozen farmers and ranchers certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for EU export, more than half are from Nebraska.

The shipment to Athens parallels the company's strategy to boost exports to EU countries as greater supplies of hormone-free cattle become available.

Greater Omaha, which employs about 700 people at its Omaha plant, was built with beef exports to the EU in mind. The company processes about 2,500 cattle every day and generates $750 million in annual sales.

Gov. Mike Johanns lauded the Olympic beef shipments as another opportunity for Nebraska producers, particularly because so many countries will be represented at the Athens Games. Johanns has been pushing for exports to resume for other beef products.

"I commend the company for its persistence in pursuing this market for beef from Nebraska," Johanns said. "This may be a niche market, but the number of qualified cattle in Nebraska is growing, so an expanding market is welcome news."

Providing U.S. beef to an audience of thousands at the Olympic Games might ease fears about mad-cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Davis said EU standards are based on science, not fear. "There's nobody in the world that has BSE or a BSE-related disease consuming beef produced in North America."

The growth of hormone-free beef has driven more sales at Greater Omaha Packing, Davis said. It also has increased interest among cattle feeders because they receive a premium for certified hormone-free beef. Still, additional demand exists, Davis said.

"We could use 100 times the feedlots, and we are seeing an increase every month," he said.
User avatar
iamjacobm
City Council
Posts: 10377
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 6:52 am
Location: Chicago

Re: Omaha... beef supplier to Olympians

Post by iamjacobm »

Is this the only place we have Greater Omaha Packing mentioned? Anyways they have a huge expansion underway. I just went by on 75 quick, but the steel looks about 3/4 as tall as the Stockyard Building.
User avatar
iamjacobm
City Council
Posts: 10377
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 6:52 am
Location: Chicago

Re: Omaha... beef supplier to Olympians

Post by iamjacobm »

http://www.omaha.com/money/south-omaha- ... c2daa.html
A South Omaha beef processor’s new addition is expanding the skyline of the historic Stockyards district.

Greater Omaha Packing’s new cold storage building doesn’t rise quite as high as the neighboring 10-story 1920s-era Livestock Exchange Building.

But at 86 feet tall, about eight stories, the new building is a sign that the neighborhood is still a busy hub of beef slaughter – and a lot more high-tech than in those old days.

The new building will house a system of robotics and conveyors, controlled by software, to sort and store as many as 65,000 boxes of refrigerated beef cuts.

The $37 million investment will help the company be more efficient, said Henry Davis, president of the company.
Greater Omaha, with $1.7 billion in revenue, says it is the fifth-largest beef packer in the country, behind the so-called “Big Four.”
User avatar
skinzfan23
City Council
Posts: 9136
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 11:26 am
Location: Omaha/Bellevue

Re: Omaha... beef supplier to Olympians

Post by skinzfan23 »

Thanks for posting that article. I drive by everyday on Hwy 75 and wondered what the addition was for. It does look pretty tall, like the article stated, reaching 86 ft (8 stories).
Louie
County Board
Posts: 3759
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Dundee

Re: Omaha... beef supplier to Olympians

Post by Louie »

skinzfan23 wrote:Thanks for posting that article. I drive by everyday on Hwy 75 and wondered what the addition was for. It does look pretty tall, like the article stated, reaching 86 ft (8 stories).
Surprising how close in height that a meat packing plant gets to the Livestock Exchange Tower.
Post Reply