Years ago, in the 199os, the Beef Checkoff invested in research that would pay dividends for years to come. The muscle profiling research set out to identify muscles in the chuck and the round that, if separated from the less tender muscles, could increase the overall value of the carcass.

They worked with the industry to release cuts, such as the petite tender, flat iron and ranch steak. Today, those three cuts account for 107 million pounds of beef sold in retail outlets alone.

I’m so thankful they did, because the flat iron is easily the steak I purchase most often. All it needs is a little sea salt, cracked black pepper and a grill. Delish. Slice in thin strips and serve to hungry boys.

And if you live in western Kansas and the wind blows so hard it blows out the flame onn your grill, you can also heat up a well-seasoned cast iron skillet and fry it. Yes, I said “fry.” Cowboys will think this is a sin – or at least my cowboys did – until they ate it. Just toss in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and get it really, really hot. I learned this little trick from The Pioneer Woman and skeptical though I was, it is just as good as on the grill.

Watch this quick video as Bridget Wasser, senior director of Meat Science Technology, shows us how the flat iron is cut from the chuck.

Young Cattlemen’s Conference class members have spent the morning discussing markets for their product. And let me tell you, these folks aren’t shy about asking questions or discussing the tough issues.

Cattle markets “here” in the United States are the speciality of Cattle Fax. One hot topic is the U.S. cowherd numbers. Duane Lenz, with Cattle Fax, echoed what we have heard earlier in the trip.

Cowherd numbers are running a little over 90 million. That’s down from a peak in the mid-1970s of 135 million. As many of the cattlemen in this class know, last year’s drought in Texas and beyond did nothing to help cowherd numbers. While that drought is improving somewhat, Lenz said that Cattle Fax does not expect that those numbers are going to go up anytime soon. There will be growth, but it will be slow and stable.

Markets are also important “there,” outside the United States border. Exports are a key part of profitability for the U.S. beef industry, Joe Schuele told us. Schuele is with the US Meat Export Federation. In fact, the value of beef exports equated to $206 per head of processed cattle last year. This is up this is up from $150 just two years ago. Exporting variety meat is critically important, he said.

The good news for beef producers is that U.S. beef exports set a new record value in 2011 at $5.42 billion, Scheule said. This number shattered the previous year’s record of $4.08 billion and easily surpassed the pre-BSE high of $3.86 billion.

Today was a day full of classroom learning for us at National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference. While we are all members of the beef industry in some way, it always amazes me how much more there is to learn, particularly from industry leaders.

Forrest Roberts, CEO for NCBA told the group the vision of “acting right” as an organization. NCBA’s core values are symbolized in the acronym ACT RT, which stands for accountability, commitment to the mission, teamwork, respect and trust.

It’s important for the beef industry to work toward improving the perception of beef, Roberts said. While 77 percent of consumers have a positive image of beef, and that’s good, improving that number to 80 percent would have a huge impact on the beef industry. And the focus should be on the “moveable middle,” the consumers who are already eating beef but could be encouraged to eat it more often.

We also heard from Chancie Rose, with Cargill. We’ve always known that beef costs more than competing proteins. In 2011, Rose said beef prices were 41 percent higher than pork and 173 percent higher than chicken. But, we also know the great taste of beef can not be replicated. Consumers look for overall eating satisfaction in tenderness, juciness and flavor.

Retailers know that those qualities are key to consumers as well. Cathy East, Group Director of Perishables for Safeway said that was the main reason behind the company establishing Ranchers Reserve, a 14-day wet aged branded beef product.

“Our quality objective is to offer beef that is considerably better and more consistent, tender, flavorful and juicy,” East said. The grocery story chain verfies the consistent tenderness by doing their own ongoing shear force test and sensory panel evaluations.

The YCC class will visit one of the flagship Safeway stores here in Denver on Sunday.

They tell me that one of the best parts of the Young Cattlemen’s Conference is learning from our fellow classmates. There are 59 of us: everything from a cow-calf producer from Hawaii, feedlot operator from Texas, a protein purchaser for a restaurant chain and a backgrounder from Alabama.

We have spent the morning telling our stories. Let me tell you, I’m the “communicator” on the trip, but these folks can tell their story better than any professional communicator could do. I know this is only the beginning – the stories will continue for days and days and long into the nights, too. And I can’t wait.