Events

Neil interviews ABF Packings founders Jason Beyer and D.L. Funderburgh about how the Southwest Meat Association (SMA) helped them start ABF in the mid-1990s, learn processing, find markets, and later survive major setbacks like a plant fire by relying on members to keep products flowing during rebuilding. They describe starting with baby calves, expanding into heavier cattle, building their Dublin facility themselves without formal plans, and lessons learned (especially plumbing/drains) along with the critical importance of water supply (about 260 gallons per cow). They discuss HACCP’s impact and how SMA support and member expertise helped them implement programs and meet evolving “approved supplier” requirements. They address today’s high beef prices as cyclical with tight margins, emphasizing persistence, yield measurement down to thousandths of a percent, continuous improvement, and building a strong team. They highlight SMA’s scholarship auction raising about $150-160k, their “give back” mindset, and ABF’s related kettle-cook business producing soups, sauces, and queso for foodservice.

Visit us at https://southwestmeat.org/

Topics

01:02 Why SMA Matters

01:37 ABF Origins and Mentors

04:15 Building the Dublin Plant

06:19 From Calves to Cows

07:57 Water and Plant Basics

10:06 SMA Support and HACCP

12:16 High Beef Market Cycles

16:32 Scholarships and Giving Back

18:49 Sales and Customer Growth

23:03 Yield and Measurement Culture

27:19 Delegation and Programs

29:49 Family Sacrifices and Diversifying

35:46 Leadership and Trusting Teams

37:49 Final Thoughts and SMA Call