At the display, visitors can visit Cy's Market, a futuristic grocery store, and use the Food Tracer to trace different products back to the producer, processor and retailer. By taking advantage of food traceability, both the producer and the consumer will gain something. The customer may feel more connected to the food supply system and become a better informed consumer.
Information can be a value-added marketing niche.
The Iowa Beef Center's source verification display, located in ISU's main tent, will demonstrate how the latest philosophy of beef production that could benefit producers and consumers alike. The producer receives feedback from the final product that can be used in future decisions and in developing a benchmarking system. The ultrasound display, located in the ISU' s hoop building, will illustrate how ultrasound is being used to collect beef carcass traits and transform that data into genetic evaluations. Daily demonstrations will show how ultrasound is performed on live animals to estimate carcass quality and lean content. It will also show how ultrasound technology and carcass analysis have advanced.