Strickland Exports

Family-Owned :: Established 1938

Strickland Exports Overcomes Challenges in Exporting Cattle

Excerpt from: James A. Jones, Jr. https://www.bradenton.com/news/business/article242348741.html

Brokering an international cattle deal is never easy.

And it is even harder during a global pandemic, said Parrish rancher Renee Toussaint-Strickland, who recently completed a deal to export registered beef cattle to Peru.

Toussaint-Strickland, who has been brokering cattle deals for 13 years for Strickland Ranch & Export Inc., said the Peru deal was among the most difficult, and perhaps the most important.

“I feel good about what I am doing. The production of food products is especially important in the pandemic and will be critical in coming years. Food production in the United States will need to increase 40 percent by 2050 and globally by 70 percent,” she said.

The United Nations forecasts that the current world population of 7.6 billion will grow to 9.8 billion by 2050.

“The pandemic is a setback. What I am doing is more important now than ever,” Toussaint-Strickland said.

The 65 head of registered beef cattle will be used to diversify and improve the genetics of cattle in Peru

Where are the leading farmers feeding the world?

Farm Journal Foundation’s Farmers Feeding the World is a national network of farmers and producers passionate about the role of agriculture in addressing hunger around the world. Members seek to engage with policy makers, promoting a national vision and commitment to international agricultural development in U.S. foreign policy. Since the launch of the program less than 3 years ago, these leaders have conducted more than 300 meetings on Capitol Hill with policymakers.

Farmers and producers work in partnership with Farm Journal Foundation at the global level and in their home state communities to communicate with and educate diverse stakeholders about the role of modern agriculture in feeding the world. Typical engagements include: speaking opportunities, guest lecturing on University campuses, hosting community events and supporting mission-aligned organizations including community gardens, food banks and local schools.

https://www.farmjournalfoundation.org/copy-of-farmers-feeding-the-world

Cattle Producer Prepares for Sommet de l’Élevage in France

The Southeast AgNet Radio Network recently interviewed Renée.  Below is an excerpt, and you can read the rest here.

The Sommet de l’Élevage is holding its 26th annual event, October 4–6, in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The event is the European Union’s (EU) largest livestock exposition, featuring competitions and a tradeshow. This year, the Sommet is especially exciting for U.S. cattle producers because, for the first time ever, Americans have been invited to the event.

Reneé Strickland of Strickland Ranch and Exports, Inc., and former president of the Livestock Exporters Association, is among the few Americans to be attending the event. She invites several French farmers to her Florida ranch every year, which prompted her interest in the Sommet. Now that Strickland has the opportunity to actually attend, she has a key goal in mind.

READ MORE

#Trailblazing2017 Dr. Temple Grandin to speak in Ft. Lauderdale

Renee is proud to have been chosen to introduce Dr. Temple Grandin in Ft. Lauderdale on Sept. 30th.  See previous news regarding Dr. Grandin here.

About the #TRAILBLAZING2017:
#TRAILBLAZING2017 is an annual business-to-business conference on meaningful employment, designed to connect the business community to the disabilities community to create opportunities to learn, understand and appreciate that persons with developmental disabilities are an asset to the workforce. Meaningful employments is not charity. It’s about seeing the value in the talent that an individual with development disabilities brings to the workforce. Speakers and panelists at #TRAILBLAZING2017serve as a critical piece of the education, inspiration and guidance for the business community at large – to help others see the disability community as a value proposition to the workforce. Panels will include examples of meaningful and sustainable work or employment initiatives and discussions around these solutions and additional ideas.

 

More about Dr. Temple Grandin:

Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame this month, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is an animal sciences innovator and champion of farm animal welfare whose masterly designs for livestock handling systems transformed the industry and are used worldwide today.  Diagnosed at age two with Autism Spectrum Disorder, she experienced the anxiety of feeling threatened by her environment and went on to apply insights gained from her experience to conceptualize equipment that reduced animal stress during the livestock handling process.  Her life and work have “revolutionized the study of autism,” captured in the title of her Ted Talk: “The World Needs All Kinds of Minds.”  Dr. Grandin currently conducts research, teaches and consults internationally on autism, animal behavior and handling, as well as advancing quality standards and assurance in the meat and livestock industries. She is a prolific author having published 12 books and several hundred publications on topics ranging from autism through to livestock handling, temperament and fertility as well as environmental enrichment and animal safety.  Dr. Grandin was featured in the acclaimed HBO biopic, “Temple Grandin” in 2010, and, in the same year, was honored in Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” In 2016, Dr. Grandin was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Reneé Strickland weighs in on TPP and its role in the 2016 election on Japanese news program

Scroll below for an approximate translation.

STUDIO INTRO: We’re now less than two weeks away from the US presidential election. One of the issues being debated is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which Japan is also deeply involved in. As deliberation begins in earnest in this country, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have expressed opposition to the deal, making it unclear whether the deal will be ratified. What is behind this situation?

–Cut to Strickland Ranch in Florida—

RENEE STRICKLAND: Come on! There ya go!

VO: This is Renee Strickland. She owns a cattle ranch in the state of Florida. As her business faces a down cycle due to low beef prices domestically, she is hoping the TPP will open up new markets overseas.

RENEE STRICKLAND: You know, if TPP were to pass, and we can get on a fair trading system to where we can export more beef, then obviously it’s going to actually help me as a producer.

VO: The TPP involves 12 countries including the United States and Japan, and each country has already begun debating ratification of the deal. However, Ms. Strickland has concerns over the direction this debate has taken in the United States.

RENEE STRICKLAND: I hope that one of these two candidates realizes that if they go with the union and decide to not support TPP, that they are abandoning agriculture.

–Cut to scene from the third presidential debate—

DONALD TRUMP: Now she wants to sign Trans-Pacific Partnership, and that will be as bad as NAFTA.

HILLARY CLINTON: I’m against it now, I’ll be against it at the election, I’ll be against it when I’m president.

VO: Why is such an insular mentality taking root now in the United States, the country that was supposed to be leading the charge in the TPP?

–Cut to scene from early voting in Youngstown, Ohio—

SHOTA STAND-UP: Early voting has begun in this industrial town in the battleground state of Ohio. On many of these voters’ minds: The economy.

VO: Youngstown used to be a vibrant manufacturing town, with good jobs in the steel and automotive industries, but its current population has fallen to 40% of peak levels. Many voters place the blame for that decline on unfair trade deals.

VOTER: Because we’re not sending that much over there, it’s affecting our jobs. There’s no jobs… as many jobs.

VO: The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was signed by the three North American countries in 1992 and ratified the following year, eliminating virtually all tariffs among member nations. Opinion polls show that nearly 60 percent of Ohio voters are opposed to such free trade deals, including Mr. Dan Moore, who works at a local steel mill. His belief that free trade deals lead to vanishing American jobs led him to support Donald Trump for president.

DAN MOORE: There’s a lot of uncertainty about that. How many more bad trade agreements can we afford?

VO: However, a local historian who specializes in the rust belt region points out that such discontent is based on a misinterpretation of history.

PROF. DONNA DEBLASIO: The jobs were gone before NAFTA here, before NAFTA really came in. We were not modernizing our mills, and that was a big problem.

VO: The American economy continues to gradually recover from the Great Recession, but those left behind are attracted to Donald Trump and his rhetoric, as he speaks directly to their economic anxieties.

–Jump to cut of Hillary Clinton—

VO: Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton had shown a favorable attitude toward the TPP, but she began to change her position during the election. The trigger for that…?

SANDERS: It also calls for strong opposition to job-killing trade agreements like the TPP!

VO: One of the main propellants for the campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders– who gave Hillary Clinton a run for her money during the primary campaign– was voters’ anger toward the perceived excesses of capitalism, with free trade as an oft-raised example. Mrs. Clinton could not afford to risk losing the support of Sanders supporters, so she was forced to declare her opposition to the TPP.

VO: At the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC, officials are closely monitoring these developments. According to one senior diplomat, it will be very difficult for TPP to pass through congress no matter which of the two candidates wins next month. Thus, the ideal scenario would be to pass TPP during the lame duck session.

–Back to Studio–

International Shipment of Cattle to Barbados

Reneé Strickland delivered 194 head of USA dairy cattle to Barbados on Sept. 30th, 2016 to help diversify their stock, and improve dairy production and quality in the small island nation. The cattle exported were a combination of holsteins, Jerseys, and Holstein x Jerseys.

Strickland Ranch & Exporting featured on “FarmHer” tv series on RFD-TV

Meet “FarmHer” Renee Strickland Who Exports Cattle Worldwide
from Her Small Ranch in Myakka City, FL

RFD-TV’s New National TV Series “FarmHer” Continues Friday, September 30th

Airs Fridays at 9:30 p.m. EST (Encore Saturdays at 11 a.m. | Sundays at 9:30 p.m.)

Download The Press Release Below (pdf)

(NASHVILLE, TENN. — September 27, 2016) Renee Strickland runs “Strickland Ranch and Exporting” in Myakka City, FL. Renee grew up in a ranching household and today, she and her husband export cattle around the world, including the middle east. She sometimes finds herself making groundbreaking deals with countries that have very volatile relations with the U.S. Government, which can make negotiations pretty tricky. For fun, Renee loads up her horses and heads to the polo fields at Sarasota Polo Club, where she competes in the game she loves.

“One day you are interacting with someone that speaks Russian and the next day they speak Spanish … and you might need Portuguese if you have to go to Brazil … so you have to be able to adapt yourself to cultures,” said Strickland. “Pakistan has been the most challenging market to open. I’ve been blessed to open several markets. I sent the first U.S. cattle into Oman. I sent the first U.S. cattle into Ecuador after many, many years. Maybe I am blazing some trails there, but it’s making it very easy for the other exporters to come in, which is great!”

According to the USDA’s most recent census report, the number of women-led farms has tripled over the past four decades and remains one of the fastest-growing groups in the United States. Today females make up 32% of the farming workforce and are almost one million women strong. Despite these powerful statistics, female farmers have often gone unnoticed in farm imagery … until now. RFD-TV’s new series, “FarmHer” focuses its camera lens on women in agriculture through the eyes of photographer and TV host Marji Guyler-Alaniz.

The original series takes viewers on a journey through a day in the life of many diverse “FarmHer’s” to explore what life on the farm looks like for women in agriculture. “FarmHer” takes you inside the nitty-gritty lives of female farmers visiting an urban goat dairy farm in Tampa, an alpaca ranch in Colorado, an urban FarmHer helping the homeless in Austin, and even an 80-year-old woman who is committed to single-handedly caring for her 6K+ acre family ranch. “FarmHer” is produced by RFD-TV in partnership with FarmHer and presented by Syngenta U.S., Mahindra U.S., and Nationwide Agribusiness.

FarmHer was founded by Marji in 2013 just after the “God Made a Farmer” Super Bowl Ram commercial aired. A few days after the commercial captivated America, she read an article discussing how it was a beautiful representation of America, but where were the women? She struggled with this fact and decided she wanted to utilize her passion for photography to begin changing the image of agriculture to include women and sharing their stories. The FarmHer concept started as an online community and photo project and has now grown into a new primetime television show on RFD-TV.

“I spent my career working in agriculture and never thought about how women were (or rather, weren’t) portrayed,” said Marji. “I woke up in the middle of the night with the realization that instead of being frustrated, I had the ability to start changing the perception with my camera and show the world that women farm too.”

“The thing that excites me the most about expanding “FarmHer” is that together with RFD-TV we can take the image of these women – images that really represent and stand for millions of women all over the world – to the next level,” said Marji. “By incorporating video, we can really show these women at work and shine a much bigger light on who they are, what they do, and the beauty that each of them brings to agriculture. I hope by sharing these with a larger audience that we can inspire women, both within and outside agriculture, to go after their dreams, do what they want and find a way to succeed.”

“There is something to be learned from every woman in the FarmHer series and you do not need to live or work in agriculture to enjoy the show, “said Raquel Gottsch, executive producer of FarmHer TV. “There are life lessons, stories of heartache and triumph, and moments of humor that will resonate with anyone watching. It is our goal of the series to not only update the image of agriculture to include women, but to also show the beauty of rural America in an effort to reconnect city with country, the lifelong mission of RFD-TV. Every woman that we have visited has truly inspired me and taught me something new about agriculture that I did not know before. Women are amazing communicators and have a way of sharing their love for the land, care for the community and desire to feed the people.”

FarmHer” airs Fridays at 9:30 p.m. EST (encore Saturday 11 a.m. and Sunday at 9:30 p.m. EST) and continues each Friday night through the fall season. For media files, press kit, episode guide, photos, and video clips, please click HERE.

Clips:
PREVIEW 1: “On Exports” – https://youtu.be/0KYoI-WuOkE
PREVIEW 2: “A Passion for Polo” – https://youtu.be/YeBywE9CvNg

For the full program schedule and more information about RFD-TV and Rural Radio Channel 147 on SiriusXM visit rfdtv.com.

# # #
About Rural Media Group, Inc. (RMG):
Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and Western lifestyle. With a mission of reconnecting “city with country,” RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, RURAL RADIO, FamilyNet, RFD-TV The Magazine, and RFD-TV The Theatre. RMG networks are distributed to more than 100 million homes worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter Spectrum, Suddenlink, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. Corporate headquarters and broadcast operations are in Nashville, Tennessee.

About RFD-TV:
RFD-TV is the flagship network for Rural Media Group. Launched in December 2000, RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network featuring programming focused on the agribusiness, equine and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. Top RFD-TV programming includes “MARKET DAY REPORT,” “RURAL EVENING NEWS,” “RURAL AMERICA LIVE,” “WESTERN SPORTS WEEKLY,” rodeo events such as “The American,” and award-winning musical entertainment such as “The Best of The Marty Stuart Show,” “Hee Haw,” “Ray Stevens’ Nashville,” and “Larry’s Country Diner.”

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Billy Frey, Chief Marketing Officer, RFD-TV, e: billy@rfdtv.com, o: (615) 296-9357
Heather Huston, VP of Marketing, RFD-TV & RURAL RADIO, e: heather@rfdtv.com, o: (615) 296-9332

 

Business Observer Florida reports on Strickland Ranch and Gonzmart Project

Excerpt below from “There’s the Beef” by Mark Gordon, managing editor of Business Observer Florida.

Jim Strickland’s promotion at his Myakka City family-run cattle and citrus farm came suddenly and tragically.

It was in 1973. Hiram Strickland, Jim’s dad and onetime Manatee County tax assessor, had died unexpectedly. The multigenerational cattle-ranching family looked toward the younger Strickland, then 17, to take over. More than four decades later Jim Strickland, 60, remains at the helm of Strickland Ranch, now working in tandem with his wife, Renee Strickland.

Strickland Ranch, about 27,000 acres, has mixed survival years with periods where it thrived, much like other farms in Florida. Both Stricklands, also like many other Florida farmers, say they are in it for the passion and heritage, not necessarily sales and profits. “I’m just a cowboy,” Jim Strickland is fond of saying.

The Stricklands are also just one of a handful of cattle farms statewide to lead the way on a new, albeit risky business model: Going farm-to-table with cattle, specifically, and for now exclusively, selling high-end beef to prominent Tampa restaurateur Richard Gonzmart for use in Gonzmart’s restaurants Ulele and Goody Goody.

Read the full article: http://www.businessobserverfl.com/section/detail/theres-the-beef/