Articles by Greg Bloom
Affordable insurance should not be our ultimate goal. We need to address the underlying risk | The Invading Sea
By Kate Stein, Greg Bloom and Wallis Greenslade Many people know that Florida is built on limestone. But more of us should be thinking about another foundation, even less sexy, that everything here depends upon: property insurance. Property insurance enables Florida residents and businesses to recover from hurricanes like Helene and Milton.
Unlocking Data and Unleashing Its Potential
Data has the potential to help fuel social change across the world, yet many relevant datasets remain locked away and siloed across government agencies, nonprofits, and corporations. What kind of collaboration does it take to make this data available to different actors working to create change?
Faith and food: How personal beliefs shape food choices
For centuries, faith has determined to a large extent the foods people eat. This blog series investigates how that shapes today’s beef business. Greg Bloom | Oct 22, 2020 I grew up on a farm where we raised a lot of our own food, including the meat we ate from our own animals. I can’t remember ever having any ethical or moral issues in my mind or conscience about raising animals for food or eating meat in general.
My prediction: China will become the largest buyer of US beef in the next five years
Zeiss4Me / Getty Images By 2022, I believe we will see China far surpass Japan as the number one destination for U.S. beef. By Greg Bloom | Sep 24, 2020 There are a lot of news stories about China in the past year that have been largely negative; trade wars, TikTok bans and of course China as the originator of the COVID-19 virus. But quietly, this year China has been buying more U.S. beef and more Chinese companies than ever are inquiring about U.S. beef.
A cattle buyer’s thoughts on cash and contract prices
Farm Progress Cash trading makes the market go lower than it should at times and higher than it should at times, which creates volatility. By Greg Bloom | Aug 27, 2020 For six years, I bought cattle for a small beef packer in Colorado. I bought two ways - on a weekly spot cash basis and on a set advance formula basis. Some call it grid pricing or captive supply or marketing agreements, but I just called it an agreed-upon formula that was negotiated quarterly and based on several factors.
Selling directly to consumers: How to find customers and market your beef
Ready to start selling? Here’s a primer to get you going. By Greg Bloom | Jun 25, 2020 In my last blog, I discussed how to find a plant to process your beef. In this edition, we’ll look at using social media to find customers and setting up a website. Of course, word-of-mouth advertising is the cheapest way to advertise, but you may live in a small town or have already exhausted your possibilities through your existing network.
Selling beef direct to consumers? Find the right processing plant
Edwin Remsberg / Getty Images Direct-to-consumer beef sales are growing. Here’s some tips for how to make it work. By Greg Bloom | May 21, 2020 Over the years, I’ve helped roughly a half-dozen beef ranchers establish their own beef brands in the marketplace. These have mostly been ranches that produce grass-finished beef or that feed out their own cattle at their ranch.
COVID Takeout: Real beef burgers still paying the bills at restaurants
RonTech2000 / Getty Imges Forget about a chicken or tuna salad sandwich or even a faux-meat veggie burger, hot all-beef burgers rule. Greg Bloom | Apr 16, 2020 I think most of us have a new “normal” or at least a temporary new normal work week. My new normal work week on the front lines of selling beef to foodservice accounts is using voice and video calls to talk with my foodservice distributors, restaurant chefs and owners.
Introducing the Principles of Equitable Disaster Response
[Cross-posting this from my blog at gregbloom.org] Last week, a distributed team of community organizers published the Principles of Equitable and Effective Disaster Response. This is a document that we’ve developed through a series of in-person convenings and distributed rounds of feedback over the past two years.
What restaurants need to survive the COVID-19 crisis
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images With about half of all beef consumption occurring outside the home, how COVID-19 affects restaurants may affect beef demand. By Greg Bloom | Mar 19, 2020 Boom! Your doors are closed! Restaurateurs surely would have liked more advance notice from their government. Perhaps seeing what happened in China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Italy was enough warning that things were going to change soon in the U.S. as well.
Pack your bags and head for Europe! There’s pent up demand for U.S. fed beef in the EU
gilaxia / Getty Images The quota for U.S. beef in the European Union has changed, and customers on the other side of the pond can’t wait. By Greg Bloom | Jan 30, 2020 Editor’s note—Meet Greg Bloom, BEEF’s newest blogger. He’s a farm kid from Northern Colorado who owns U.S. Protein, an international distributor of premium meats. Greg will bring his perspective as one who sells the product you produce.
Updates to our Strategic Framework: a summary of emerging changes
Chat designed by Xavier Gironès from the Noun Project We’re just past halfway into the first year of the Open Referral Initiative, and I’ve just posted an updated version of our ‘Public Documentation’ — a living document that lays out the strategic framework of this project. You can read it here on the site or in Github, and you can also comment and make suggestions in the Google Doc.
The Philippines for beginners: 7 first-timer fails to avoid on your trip
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The Philippines for beginners: 7 first-timer fails to avoid on your trip
The Philippines is a relatively easy travel destination by Southeast Asian standards. English is widely spoken, and the country has an endearing don't-worry-be-happy vibe, soothing for first-time visitors. Alas, volatile weather and natural disasters can mess up trips in a hurry, while a menu of 7000-plus islands creates itinerary headaches for even the most seasoned travel planners. Increase your chances of a smooth trip by avoiding the following first-timer fails.
Lo mejor de Palawan: qué ver y qué hacer en este archipiélago filipino
La isla de Coron, en el norte de Palawan, es un destino de aventura Filipinas © R.M. Nunes / Shutterstock 1. Submarinismo y esnórquel en Palawan Un rico mosaico submarino da la bienvenida a los submarinistas que visitan Palawan, en pleno corazón del corredor de biodiversidad del Triángulo de Coral.
Palawan paradise: top things to see and do
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Philippines' colourful jeepneys are going green
The Philippines’ iconic jeepney faces possible extinction as it confronts a rising green tide and a strong-armed president bent on solving Manila’s notorious traffic woes. Electric ‘e-jeepneys’ charge at the headquarters of electricity utility Meralco in Pasig, Metro Manila. Photo by Greg Bloom Graffiti-splashed jeepneys – ancestors of American WWII-era Willys Jeeps – are a primary form of public transport in the Philippines.
Open Referral Initiative: A Standard for the Safety Net
Posted on Aug 5, 2014 by Greg Bloom Tags: Campaigns, Commons, Data, Health, and Open Data Information about health, human, and social services is an essential element of our public infrastructure. It is literally what one needs to ‘see’ the safety net. It should be reliable and easy to find, in all kinds of ways.
Belarus in five days
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Five adventurous getaways from Manila
Manila’s fast pace and heavy traffic can try anybody’s patience, but there are ways to escape the madness. Whether you prefer sea-based or land-based activities, cultural diversions or adrenaline-pumping adventures, you have plenty to choose from if you’re looking to get out of town for a day. Here are five spots that will make the chaos of the capital seem like a distant memory. Antipolo You don’t have to venture far out of Manila for a complete change of scenery.
Belarus in five days
In recent years Belarus’ lively capital, Minsk, has caught on as an alternative weekend break. While Minsk’s worthwhile museums and impressive dining and nightlife scene make for a thoroughly enjoyable experience, visiting for even just five days allows you to cut your teeth on provincial Belarus, a famously flat land of fairytale castles, rolling sunflower fields, forgotten schtetls (Jewish villages) and enchanted forests.
La Bielorussia in cinque giorni
La maggior parte dei viaggiatori non prende in considerazione la Bielorussia, ma questo angolo poco esplorato dell’Europa orientale, al fine di incentivare l’afflusso di visitatori, ha approvato di recente un decreto che prevede l’esenzione del visto d’ingresso nel paese per un periodo massimo di cinque giorni per i cittadini di 80 paesi, purché l’arrivo e la partenza avvengano in aereo dall’aeroporto di Minsk.
Chasing paradise: five alternatives to Boracay
The Philippines' famed island, Boracay, was closed to the public in April 2018 in an attempt to try and restore the incredible location to its former glory after suffering the effects of overtourism. The picturesque island, previously famous for pristine beaches and a heady party vibe, has reopened with a limit on the daily number of visitors and a set of rules designed to protect the environment.
What We (Need to) Talk About When We Talk About Community-Led Disaster Response
Hurricane season last year was wild, right? Harvey, Irma, and Maria—each storm spreading more devastation across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Many months later, communities are still recovering—especially Puerto Rico, where our government has outright failed its citizens. Our climate is obviously changing, and the resulting storms are intensifying: tornadoes, floods, even earthquakes (probably unrelated to climate, but now a new threat in areas with heavy fracking).
Introducing Open Referral: A Better Way to Manage Health, Human, and Social Services Data
Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Greg Bloom, the Chief Organizing Officer for the Open Referral Initiative. “Where do I go to get help with housing and food services? Which agencies provide what services? How can I access them?” These are important questions a person might have for their government. And yet, good answers are surprisingly hard to find.
The best beaches of the Philippines
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Talking Open Referral at Stanford’s Data on Purpose
Last month I visited Stanford to speak at the 2017 Data on Purpose conference, sponsored by Stanford’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, the Stanford Social Innovation Review and Digital Impact (née Markets for Good).
Moldovan mini-break: 48 hours in Chişinău
Quick, name a wine- and food-loving European city within range of ancient monasteries and world-class vineyards! You’re probably thinking of something in France or Italy. How about Chi?in?u, Moldova? Now better connected than ever by air to western Europe, this leafy capital makes an appealing – and affordable – short break, offering a nice mix of accessible sights, hopping nightlife and post-Soviet exoticism.
The Open Referral API project
The Open Referral Initiative’s next chapter starts now! Open Referral has helped over a dozen community organizations find new ways to share resource directory information about the health, human, and social services available to people in need. Our Human Services Data Specification provides a common ‘machine language’ that any technology can be programmed to import and/or export.
Traveler Tips and Articles
Belarus is off the radar of most travellers, but this rarely explored corner of eastern Europe has just given them the legislative equivalent of a come-hither glance: loosening entry requirements to allow citizens of 80 countries to visit visa-free for up to five days, as long as you arrive by air (or via one land border where visa-free entry is being trialled). In recent years Belarus’ lively capital, Minsk, has caught on as an alternative weekend break.
The undiscovered jewel of the Philippines
Mention Apo Reef to seasoned Philippines travellers and chances are they will tell you about a distant diving paradise accessible only on expensive live-aboard trips. Mention Sablayan, a coastal backwater on the island of Mindoro that is the jumping-off town to Apo Reef, and most likely they will greet you with a blank stare. But thanks to greatly improved infrastructure on Mindoro, Apo Reef is now a lot more accessible.
Towards a Community Data Commons
Bread for the City is one of Washington D.C.’s largest and most comprehensive providers of human services: an institution nearly four decades old, with four departments offering dozens of services—health care, legal counsel, food provisions, social workers, and the “Bread Boutique” clothing room to boot—in two facilities on opposite sides of the city.
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