Much has been written about the doings of the World Meat Congress held in Australia this spring. (Read a recap at beef-mag.com/World_Meat_Congress/index.html.) The overwhelming theme of the meeting was the three T's needed to compete in the global market place of the future -- Trust, Traceback and Transparency.

There's no substitute for integrity. Ronald Reagan said, "trust but verify," and we're definitely seeing a host of changes to be demanded to help verify the genetics, management and source of cattle. But the unmistakable conclusion about this new marketing environment is trust will be an even bigger factor. The difference is you'll be held accountable if you violate that trust.
-- Troy Marshall