Nebraska cattleman J.D. Alexander was named 2012 president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) during the organization’s annual meeting in Nashville. Alexander officially took the reins of NCBA from Bill Donald, a rancher from Melville, Mont.

The high-end South Korean lifestyle magazine, Luxury, devoted 12 pages of its current issue to steak, and a significant portion of that special feature focused on U.S. prime beef, dry-aged American beef and restaurants that feature them.Korean consumers’ perception of U.S. beef is improving, steadily returning to the positive levels of 2003 when American beef was the dominant imported beef. That was evidenced by the fact that five of the seven restaurants spotlighted in Luxury sold U.S. ribeye and striploin steaks in conjunction with domestic (Hanwoo) tenderloins. Two restaurants offered Australian ribeyes. The taste profile of grain-fed U.S. beef, along with its competitive price, are driving demand for the American imports and helping foster a substantial interest in dry-aged beef. “U.S. ribeyes and striploins meet the preferred specifications for dry aging,” said Jihae Yang, USMEF-Korea director, who was interviewed for the Luxury article. “Hanwoo beef, which is in high demand from Korean-style barbecue restaurants, is too expensive considering the loss after dry-aging. U.S. beef is the true leader in this category.”

Patty Colson has been a volunteer for World Ag Expo, held in Tulare, California, since 1984. With a farm background herself, she has attended every show since it started in the 1960s. This year’s 2012 show marks the 45th anniversary, “Growing World Agriculture,” held February 14-16 at the International Agri-Center show grounds in Tulare, California.

World Ag Expo recently released its 2012 version of the World Ag Expo app available in the Apple iTunes or App Store, Blackberry App World and Android Market. This app puts important information about World Ag Expo in the palm of your hand for easy access before, during and after the show. 1. Once launched, you are at the “Dashboard.” Here you will find links to the different areas of the app including: My Schedule, Exhibitors, Maps, Events, Speakers, Twitter and Downloads.