Celebrating 40 Years of Driving Beef Demand
For 40 years, the Beef Checkoff has worked to drive demand for beef through promotion, research and education. Since the program’s first Checkoff-funded work began in 1986, the beef industry has changed — and the ways beef is promoted, researched and positioned with consumers have changed along with it.
Here are Beef Checkoff 40th anniversary stories, videos and podcast conversations that look back at key milestones, producer-led investments and the demand-building work that continues today.
How Cattlemen’s Beef Board has been Growing Beef Demand for 40 Years
Farm+Food+Facts host Joanna Guza talks with Greg Hanes, Chief Executive Officer for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, and Terry Quam, fourth generation beef farmer and board member of the Cattleman’s Beef Board checkoff and board member of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action. They discuss the future of the beef industry, consumer demand, export strategies, and industry collaboration.
40 Years of Driving Beef Demand
The beef industry has changed a lot over the last four decades — and so has the way beef is promoted and protected in the marketplace. This short video reflects on 40 years of Beef Checkoff work and what it’s meant for beef demand over time. Watch for a straightforward look at where the program has been and where it’s headed next.
Where Would We Be Without the Beef Checkoff?
A lot has happened in the beef industry over the last 40 years. Back in the early 1980s, consumer confidence was slipping. Demand was declining. Cattle producers across the country knew something had to change.
Checkout Milestones. Producer Wins.
For 40 years, the Beef Checkoff has supported the beef industry. Since its start in 1985, the Checkoff has significantly and positively altered the beef industry’s course, providing much-needed funding for promotion and research while helping create a clear, unified message about beef for consumers. The Beef Checkoff has brought producers, industry organizations and other stakeholders together with a common purpose: driving demand for beef.
The Beef Checkoff program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
