Jaylyn Armstrong, Author at Beef Checkoff

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of 35 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board also known as Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB). Producers and importers newly appointed to serve 3-year terms are:

Mary Jo Rideout, Red Rock, Arizona
Hugh Sanburg, Eckert, Colorado
Stephanie Dykshorn, Ireton, Iowa
David C. Bruene, Kelley, Iowa
Randall W. Debler, Alma, Kansas
DJ Edwards, Hamilton, Kansas
Amelia Kent, Slaughter, Louisiana
Ken Blight, Albion, Michigan
Penny Zimmerman, Foley, Minnesota
Larry Jefcoat, SoSo, Mississippi
David B. Hutsell, Hartville, Missouri
Bree A. DeNaeyer, Seneca, Nebraska
David W. Hamilton, Thedford, Nebraska
Robert Crabb Jr., Siler City, North Carolina
Bill King, Moriarty, New Mexico
Angie Meyer, Okarche, Oklahoma
Vaughn Thorstenson, South Dakota
Eric Sumption, Frederick, South Dakota
Kristina Oldfield McKee, Lebanon, Tennessee
Ernie A. Morales, Devine, Texas
Bilynn Johnson, Happy, Texas
Charlie Price, Oakwood, Texas
Don Smith, Sulphur Springs, Texas
Wallace Schulthess, Woodruff, Utah
Bob Mitchell, Wauzeka, Wisconsin
Terry Quam, Lodi, Wisconsin
Irvin J. Petsch, Wyoming
Jack Parent, Swanton, Vermont, Northeast Unit
C.W. Senn Jr., York, South Carolina, Southeast Unit
Rocky Pinheiro, Glenn, California, Southwest Unit
Melvin Medeiros, Laton, California, Southwest Unit
Ruby L. Uhart, Wells, Nevada, Southwest Unit
Steven Hobbs, Larkspur, Colorado, Importer
Nicholas Brander, Wilmette, Illinois, Importer
Fred A. Sorbello, Mullica Hill, New Jersey, Importer

The board is authorized by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 and has 99 members — all of whom are beef producers or importers of cattle, beef or beef products.

More information about the board and list of board members is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service Cattlemen’s Beef Board web page.

Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services provide oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity.

Contact Information:

Carl E. Purvis, carl.e.purvis@usda.gov, 202 690-0488, Release No.: 181-18

The old adage goes: “It’s a great big world out there.” When it comes to beef export markets, did you know the U.S. exports to more than 80 countries? And, did you know those efforts to promote your product overseas add value back to your operation? To put it into perspective, as of August 2018, value per head for fed slaughter was valued at $318.66, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

“For the sake of future generations, it is essential that we continue to look forward and never stop extolling the benefits of global trade,” said Dan Halstrom, President and CEO of USMEF, contractor to the beef checkoff. “USMEF is excited about the recent market access developments as U.S. beef exports continue to achieve tremendous growth – not only in our mainstay Asian markets but also in the Western Hemisphere.”

Foreign Marketing in Action: Cooking in China

USMEF recently conducted four consumer cooking classes in Shanghai in an effort to increase awareness of U.S. beef by engaging young professionals with an interest in home cooking. The classes combined education with social media activities to reach a wider audience across China’s most populous city. Each class featured a dietitian presenting the benefits and attributes of U.S. beef and sharing information about their nutritional aspects.

Japanese Journalists

The Minnesota Beef Council recently hosted a group of journalists from Japan interested in learning more about the beef industry. Journalists who participated included a food blogger, a writer for a food and wine magazine, writers for both a men’s and a women’s magazine and a photographer. Plus, a USMEF representative of the Rancher’s Legacy and Big Steer Meats shared experiences in an effort to expose the visitors to the beef processing sector. The visit enabled the journalists to ask questions and take photos of exemplary industry representatives so they could write about the experiences when they return to Japan.

Heartland Team Tour

The USMEF Heartland Team recently returned from a six-day educational trip to Osaka and Tokyo, Japan, to share and learn about ways to expand beef markets in Asia. The team met with representatives and perhaps, more importantly, Japanese consumers to learn about the country’s tastes and preferences in the U.S. beef market.

“USMEF continues to work to show U.S. producers the export market potential in Japan and how we create demand for U.S. red meat and develop the Japanese market,” continued Halstrom. “Japan is our largest market, and despite some of the trade challenges we’ve faced, the numbers continue to look very good. We hope producers see what we have accomplished as an industry but also what we need to continue to develop to keep export trends going in this same positive direction.”

As cattle producers, you may know we import beef and beef products into the U.S. But do you know why it helps meet domestic demand for beef?

Let’s start with the basic facts:

Importers pay a $1-per-head equivalent on all live cattle, beef and beef products imported to the U.S., adding an average of $7.4 million per year to the Beef Checkoff budget between Fiscal Years 2015-2017 according to Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB).
The U.S. is the fourth-largest beef exporting country and the largest beef importing country according to data from FAS/USDA. However, the story behind those numbers is not as simple as the need for more cattle to meet demand but instead, the need to meet demand for certain parts of the animal such as lean trim.
According to the white paper, “The U.S. Ground Beef Market: Why Imports Help,” lean trim is in very short supply in the U.S. because the number of beef and dairy cows producers are sending to market has declined significantly during the last decade. As a result, the U.S. simply is not producing enough lean trim to meet demand right here in this country.

The vast majority of beef that the U.S. imports is lean trim (90-plus percent lean) primarily from Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., we mix that lean trim with 50/50 lean and fat ground beef to meet domestic consumer demand for lean beef.¹

The U.S. domestic supply is mainly from fed cattle. A by-product of the retail beef cuts produced from fed cattle is 50 percent fat trimmings. These are mixed with lean trimmings to produce ground beef for hamburgers, meatballs, — hence the need for additional lean beef that is supplied by imports. At the same time, it increases the value of the fat trimmings.

Without this imported trim, the U.S. beef supply would run far short of the lean ground beef required to meet that consumer demand. A growing number of consumers say they would turn to other, leaner protein options if lean ground beef was unavailable or too expensive.²

More recently, following checkoff-funded educational seminars and workshops on alternative beef cuts, importers began diversifying their U.S. beef portfolios, adding brisket, top blade, flap steak and sirloin.

There are cattle production systems in other parts of the world where lean beef can be, and should be, produced as a primary product. Over time, it makes sense for the U.S. to import more of its lean beef while selling more high-value fed beef, both domestically and in the export market.

Considering the entire picture, including the value of all the U.S.-grown beef that goes into the ground beef supply, imported lean beef actually enhances the value of the beef market. In addition, importing lean beef helps beef farmers and ranchers to maximize their competitive advantage of beef production.

The topic of beef sustainability continues to exist among consumers, the media and the beef industry. Your Beef Checkoff continues to work toward shifting the sustainability conversation in a different direction – one of a positive view of the beef industry and production practices.

During a recent Sustainability Workshop in Denver, Colorado, Sara Place, Ph.D., Senior Director of Sustainable Beef Production Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), contractor to the Beef Checkoff, said, “Our research shows consumers feel comfortable seeing recipes next to stories about beef production and consider it credible information when there is a face or expert associated with the content.”

The workshop exposed agriculture trade media partners to the current discussion happening around beef and sustainability, and consumer insights and market research related to beef sustainability. According to the 2017 Consumer Image Index, only 30 percent of consumers say they are familiar with how cattle are raised, but 77 percent of consumers think it is important for beef producers to openly share production information with the public.

In discussion about consumer behavior perspectives on beef sustainability related issues, Dr. Glynn Tonsor, Ph.D., Kansas State University Agricultural Economics Faculty Professor, said, “The world needs and wants more protein. New sources will continue to arise, but there is room for both conventional and new protein items.” According to Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, Director of Sustainability at JBS USA, sustainability will be a top five demand driver over the next 20 years. To ensure consumers know the facts about beef sustainability, the Beef Checkoff conducts research to better understand the needs of today’s consumer.

Leading the Way

Quantifying the sustainability of beef is challenging, as the supply chain is one of the most multifaceted food systems in the world. However, the beef industry paved the way with the checkoff’s comprehensive lifecycle assessment which quantifies and benchmarks environmental, social and economic aspects of the beef industry from 2005 to 2011. Most recent work aimed to quantify important environmental impacts of beef cattle production systems for each of seven regions of the U.S. and then, use those regional assessments to determine national impacts of cattle production. Additional studies shared during the workshop focused on human edible feed conversion research (upcycling) and the economic value of beef cattle ranching and farming-based ecosystem services.

“Our industry continues to make advancements and improvements in the sustainability of U.S. beef production,” concluded Place. “Thanks to beef checkoff efforts, we are positioned as credible experts and work to communicate these positive messages throughout the beef value-chain.”

When asked about checkoff activities, two out of three producers said “informing producers about the results of beef checkoff programs” was essential. The Cattlemen’s Beef Board invests a small percentage (about 3.5 percent) of its total budget to keep all producers informed about what their money is accomplishing. This year, funding will be spent on an initiative called The Drive.

If you are on this website, you are already experiencing The Drive. It is a movement to build a strong, trusting partnership with producers through listening, transparency and clear, direct communication.

That is why The Drive will make every effort to better understand what producers want to know about the Beef Checkoff program. Through conversations with producers like yourself, we will gauge your checkoff awareness and perceptions, as well as gain valuable insights about your educational interests and needs.

That’s right – it is all about YOU. We will conduct roundtable discussions with key opinion leaders and have one-on-one conversations with beef producers (YOU!). Then, we will share those topics of interest with your fellow beef producers across the country.

We all know that our industry continues to face challenges from various action groups. The Drive will help address misconceptions and challenges by establishing an industry voice to educate producers, the media and other influencers about the facts.

The bottom line? Let’s start having an open and honest conversation that will benefit the entire beef industry.

To be a part of our conversation, please email beefboard@beefboard.org.

Beef was a hot commodity at the 2018 TASTE! Lancaster Festival of Food, Wine & Spirits. Held at the Lancaster Convention Center on November 16th and 17th — the area’s premier food festival welcomed nearly 8,000 guests who enjoy the pleasures of eating and entertaining with food.

The Beef Checkoff highlighted beef’s versatility and flavor profile to the crowds as they passed through the festival space. Chef Barry Strand from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, was on-site to demonstrate the new culinary craze of Beef Poke (or Poké), sharing nearly 1,600 samples of this tangy, trendy recipe to the millennial and foodie crowd. Poke is a native Hawaiian dish traditionally crafted with diced raw fish and served as either an appetizer or main course.

“We wanted to highlight this dish for two reasons,” Chef Barry explained. “According to Whole Foods Market Top 10 Trends of 2019, flavors of Hawaii and the Pacific Rim will be huge in 2019. This recipe capitalizes on the trend of poke using flavors from beef Ribeye Filet, instead of the traditional raw fish. Also, Ribeye Filet is a cut that not many people have tried before. You can ask your butcher to break this down for you, or you can get more hands-on and fabricate this cut yourself. There are cutting videos available on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.”

Along with a weekend of culinary demos, Chef Barry also showcased a step-by-step breakdown of the beef Ribeye subprimal, demonstrating how cost effective this can be if done at home. Attendees were fascinated by the cutting demo and watched in amazement as Chef Barry talked through the best technique to freeze beef at home as well.

“Buying beef in bulk and learning the proper steps to freezing beef in smaller potions is a great option for feeding your family on a budget,” comments Jennifer Orr, director of nutrition education with the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff.

New to the beef booth was a Recipe Inspiration Kiosk. This digital experience allowed consumers to learn more about beef fabrication, view checkoff-promoted videos, enter to win the Beef and Wine Entertaining Basket — and even share recipes with themselves from BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. Of those entering the survey at the kiosk, 84 percent stated they have a positive opinion of beef.

Overall, the checkoff was glad to be involved in this local foodie event, educating consumers on the many benefits of beef from its versatility, economical capabilities and delicious flavor profile. The checkoff is thankful to JBS Souderton for helping to make this event a success through the generous donation of beef subprimals for the cutting demonstration and Ribeye Filets for sampling.

The event was sponsored by the Beef Checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, along with the Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Iowa State Beef Councils. For more information about upcoming NEBPI events, visit the NEBPI website and Facebook page.

Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.

Northeast influencers got an inside look at Pennsylvania’s veal industry through “Raising Today’s Veal,” a VIP event hosted Sept. 18 to 19, 2018, in Souderton, Pennsylvania. The tour offered an opportunity to learn about the veal industry in depth, talk with a local veal producer and tour the Marcho Processing Plant in order to better understand the veal community.

Donna Moenning, a facilitator of the Veal Quality Assurance Program, kicked off the VIP evening on September 18, introducing veal and how these cattle are raised. To further engage our influencers, she touched on industry standards and the level of commitment to quality care by the farm families that raise them. To help tell that story, Mike Kunsman, a veal producer from La Jose, Pennsylvania, went through the day-to-day tasks on his farm, explaining all the care and dedication that goes into raising quality, nutritious protein. Mike is a third-generation farmer and has been a grower for Marcho for the past 16 years.

Dr. Aydin, Director Research and Nutrition at Marcho Farms, Inc., and Robert Supanick, representative from Mountain States Rosen, also joined the evening gathering to provide insight on all aspects of the veal community. VIP evening attendees included five Registered Dietitians from Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as three career chefs and culinary instructors from Pennsylvania.

The following day, the influencer group and students from the Culinary Institute of Philadelphia joined for a tour of the Marcho Processing Plant, which began as a two-person veal farm when founder Wayne Marcho purchased his first calf in 1969. Today, the Marcho family operates a fully-integrated veal and lamb manufacturing facility — providing premium veal cuts and products for families to enjoy nationwide and globally. Attendees toured the Marcho Feed Mill where precision and science are weaved together to create a balanced, milk-replacer formula, which all the veal growers feed to their calves. The tour then led influencers and students through the harvest floor, processing center and cutting rooms where veal products were cut down and packaged to be shipped to retail and foodservice establishments.

To the surprise of many attendees, the veal animals were a lot larger than expected, being upwards of 500 pounds at the time of harvest, helping to put into perspective how the veal landscape has changed over the year. Many were also excited to hear that all veal calves are now raised in group housing barns, a national initiative that was achieved in 2017.

Dr. Sonia Arnold, Manager of Nutrition, Research and Quality Control, and Chad Yoder, Calf Procurement, both of Marcho Farms, led the group through their facility. The day ended with a Veal Parmesan lunch and discussions on how veal is marketed by Anthony Tomassian, a Manufacturer Sales Representative for Marcho.

Throughout the experience, attendees were encouraged to ask questions and openly engage in dialogue with Marcho executives, veal growers and industry members. With the veal community opening their doors to showcase how today’s veal is raised, the Beef Checkoff was able to highlight the improvements the industry has made through group housing and help dispel myths surrounding veal production.

Pre- and post-tour survey results showed a 40 percent attitudinal shift towards a positive favorability rating for beef with all participants citing they feel the positives of beef outweigh the negative.

“I was amazed at how much care was taken at each stage of the veal process, from feeding the calves superior nutrition to housing and transporting them in a clean, safe and humane environment,” commented Kim Schwabanbauer. “This industry has come a long way and that is a story that demands to be told. The other real surprise was the sustainability aspect with the use of an animal that would otherwise be discarded. Every piece of the animal was used in a way that made sense for consumption or for the environment, right down to the heart linings being sent to St. Jude’s Hospital for research. There was a lot of thought put into how to make everything work for the good of the order.”

Attendees were encouraged to check out VealFarm.com and VealMadeEasy.com for more information, recipes, nutrition information and more.

This tour was made possible by the Pennsylvania Beef Council and the checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative with funding support from the Kentucky Beef Council. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Beef Council, visit www.pabeef.org.

The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board will invest about $40.5 million into programs of beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications during fiscal year 2019, subject to USDA approval.

In action at the end of its September 11-12 meeting in Denver, the Operating Committee approved checkoff funding for a total of 14 “Authorization Requests” – or proposals – brought by seven contractors for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2018. The committee, which includes 10 producers from the Beef Board and 10 producers from the Federation of State Beef Councils, also recommended full Beef Board approval of a budget amendment to reflect the split of funding between budget categories affected by their decisions.

The seven contractors had brought a total of $45 million worth of funding requests to the Operating Committee this week, almost $5 million more than what was available from the CBB budget.

“The members of the Operating Committee listened with open minds as contractors presented their requests for funding. The committee engaged in respectful debate as they went through the funding for each request, mindful of program committee comments from summer convention,” said Beef Board Chairman Joan Ruskamp, a feedlot owner from Nebraska. “Trimming nearly $4.8 million to meet the budget of $40,521,900 was not an easy task, yet the committee remained focused on program funding that would best strengthen demand for beef.”

In the end, the Operating Committee approved proposals from seven national beef organizations for funding through the FY19 Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board budget, as follows:

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (five proposals for $27.4 million)
U.S. Meat Export Federation, a subcontractor to NCBA (one proposal for $8.3 million)
North American Meat Institute (four proposals for $1.9 million)
Cattlemen’s Beef Board (one proposal for $1.7 million)
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (one proposal for $700,000)
Meat Import Council of America (one proposal for $417,000)
National Livestock Producers Association (one proposal for $60,000)

Broken out by budget component, the Fiscal Year 2019 Plan of Work for the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board budget includes:

$10.5 million for promotion programs, including continuation of the Checkoff’s consumer digital advertising program, as well as veal promotion
$9.2 million for research programs, focusing on a variety of critical issues, including pre- and post-harvest beef safety research, product quality research, human nutrition research and scientific affairs, market research, and beef and culinary innovations
$7.6 million for consumer information programs, including a Northeast public relations initiative; national consumer public relations, including nutrition-influencer relations and work with primary- and secondary-school curriculum directors nationwide to get accurate information about the beef industry into classrooms of today’s youth
$3 million for industry information programs, comprising dissemination of accurate information about the beef industry to counter misinformation from anti-beef groups and others, as well as funding for checkoff participation in the fifth annual national industrywide symposium focused on discussion and dissemination of information about antibiotic use
$8.3 million for foreign marketing and education in 80 countries in the following regions: ASEAN region, Caribbean, Central America/Dominican Republic, China/Hong Kong, Europe, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Middle East, Russia/Greater Russian Region, South America, Taiwan and new markets
$1.7 million for producer communications, which includes investor outreach using national communications and direct communications to producers and importers about checkoff results; as well as development and utilization of a publishing strategy and platform, and a state beef council content hub

The full fiscal 2019 budget is $43.9 million. Separate from the authorization requests, other expenses funded include $227,000 for evaluation; $300,000 for program development; $800,000 for USDA oversight/CBB legal; and about $2 million for administration. The fiscal 2019 budget represents an increase of $3 million from the $40.9 million FY19 budget.

Article via NEBPI, a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff

Throughout the month of September, the Beef Checkoff is partnering with Northeast-based blogger Christina Hitchcock of It Is A Keeper surrounding Back to School with Beef. Recipes, time saving tips, tricks and more will be shared with followers to help get the school year off to a happy and healthy start.

Christina kicked off the series with a post about utilizing a multi-cooker to cook frozen Ground Beef to utilize in a variety of recipes. We’ve all been in the 5 o’clock panic, realizing we don’t have beef thawed out in the refrigerator. The blog post outlines the ease of utilizing a multi-cooker to get safe, fully-cooked Ground Beef in under 30 minutes. You can read it, here. Additional posts will include:

Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells
Beef Lasagna Soup
Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Additional outreach surrounding this campaign included a sponsored segment on WNEP-TV’s Home & Backyard, which aired Saturday, September 8th. The segment featured Christina walking through her quick weeknight Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells recipe. The segment can be viewed, here. Nutritional messaging was also shared throughout the segment to remind viewers that beef’s essential nutrients will fuel their family’s busy lifestyle. Kaitlyn Carey, Director of Consumer Affairs with the checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative notes, “Our partnership with social influencers, like Christina, allows us to have a larger impact with Northeast consumer groups we would not have access to without these relationships.”

Partnership opportunities like this allow the Beef Checkoff to engage directly with our regional social influencers, while disseminating beef information to our Northeast consumers. Beef checkoff-funded research [1] in the Northeast shows that nutrition-focused efforts are making a difference with the Northeast’s metropolitan consumers. Messaging related to beef’s protein, lean cuts and essential nutrients appear to be reaching and favorably influencing consumers.

For more insight into our Back to School campaign visit the NortheastLovesBeef Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages. For more information, visit NEBPI.org.

Media Contact:

Kaitlyn Carey; kcarey@pabeef.org or visit the NEBPI website.

[1] Consumer Beef Index, July 2017, Funded by the Beef Checkoff

Article via NEBPI, a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff

The modern-day grocery shopping experience is a far cry from how our parents shopped for their family meals. Technology is truly changing the way we shop for food, isn’t it? You really are just a few clicks away from your groceries showing up at your door step in a matter of hours, complete with helpful meal solutions to pull off a home-cooked meal in under 30 minutes. The Beef Checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) took advantage of several non-traditional retail marketing platforms this summer, ensuring that Northeast shoppers chose beef as the center for their summer celebratory meals.

Long gone are the coupon clipping days and instead, modern shoppers can access recipes, cooking tips and product rebates right from their smartphones. The checkoff continues to find value in focusing on influencing the shopper’s buying decision before they step foot inside the grocery store. Ibotta, a mobile retail rebate app boasting 24 million downloads is the third most frequently used shopping app. This summer, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic shoppers had the opportunity to engage with checkoff-funded beef recipes and cooking tips, to unlock rebates on fresh beef through the Ibotta app. The campaign reached over 2,500 retail locations and the geographical reach of their footprint included the entire New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. Stores included Hannaford, Stop and Shop, Giant, Giant Food, Martin’s, Food Lion, Weis Markets and Redner’s Warehouse Markets. The campaign included tiered beef rebates structured to target both new and existing beef users, encouraging shoppers to shift up in the beef category from ground beef to whole muscle cuts and ultimately become repeat beef purchasers. The campaign was a partnered effort between the NEBPI, the Pennsylvania Beef Council, Virginia Beef Council, Iowa Beef Industry Council and North Carolina Beef Council.

Additionally, the Beef Checkoff’s NEBPI partnered with the East Coast online retailer giant, Fresh Direct, for a 4th of July beef burger campaign. Campaign promotional elements included a themed homepage ad featuring beef, leading up to and including the holiday weekend, a grilling landing page and shopping page featuring beef burgers. The campaign also offered run-of-site checkoff banner ads featuring the Beef Checkoff’s “Nicely Done” artwork, select beef SKUs boosted in consumer search bars, a blog article featuring a “Beef. it’s What’s For Dinner.” burger recipe, a box insert, e-blasts and social media posts to further elevate the reach of the campaign.

As a result of both digital retail-focused campaigns, over 3.5 million impressions were garnered. The Ibotta campaign achieved nearly 140,000 consumer engagements which drove the sale of over 43,000 units of beef during the 5-week campaign.

Christie Brown, the NEBPI’s Director of Marketing commented at the conclusion of both campaigns, “Not only does the checkoff have the opportunity to deepen relationships with regional retailers through these beef campaigns, but it’s also an incredible way to reach and engage with our Northeast-based consumers, all while driving beef sales at the retail level.”

For more information, visit NEBPI.org.

Media Contact:

Christie Brown, cbrown@pabeef.org or visit the NEBPI website.

Article via PBC

On Wednesday, August 1, 2018, school nutrition professionals in Pennsylvania had the chance to meet folks across the beef community who play a role in creating wholesome and delicious beef meals, through the School Nutrition Association of PA’s Annual Conference. The conference drew a crowd of nearly 300 school foodservice directors and line staff, responsible for the purchasing and menuing decisions for more than 500 school districts within Pennsylvania.

We heard that beef meals are a favorite on school lunch menus across Pennsylvania and we encouraged attendees to learn more about beef at the conference. The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) and the Beef Checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) are a year-long sponsor with the association, which enables beef to be a resource and exhibit at their annual meeting. This year, foodservice directors had the opportunity to attend the speaking session titled “Meet the People Behind Beef,” an interactive discussion session highlighting beef’s nutrient density and facilitated a question and answer segment with a local beef producer, veterinarian and meat scientist.

Karen Buch, RDN, LDN of Nutrition Connection, LLC hosted the session explaining various beef cuts and recipes best suited for school lunch menus, along with beef’s nutrition profile. The session was then opened up in a panel-style discussion, where attendees could candidly ask how today’s beef is raised and cared for in Pennsylvania. Panelists included Dustin Heeter, owner and operator of his family’s cow-calf operation, Heritage Hill Farms in Clarksburg, PA, Andrew Stas, VMD of Lakeview Animal Clinic and Dr. Jonathan Campbell a Meat Extension Specialist at Penn State University.

The session had rave reviews in regard to the speaker, panelists and session topics. A lot of great information was shared ranging from beef’s nutrient profile, sourcing beef for schools to types of beef products on the market and the care farmers take to raising a safe and wholesome product. Dimitra Barrios, Director of Foodservice at Chichester School District commented, “Understanding more about where our beef comes from is essential in being able to communicate the benefits to our K-12 market”. Afterwards, all attendees polled had a positive perception of beef.

Following the session, attendees were encouraged to visit the beef booth at the association’s annual food show. There directors and line staff could try a sample of Wrangler’s Beef Chili, one of the recipes part of the “Kid-Friendly Foodservice” recipe bar that was displaying the ease and diversity ground beef can play in school lunches. Staff also provided additional resources and information highlighting the benefits of keeping beef on the school lunch menu. At the booth, attendees could enter win an Instant Pot and beef swag through an on-site survey. Of those completing the survey, 84% said they are more likely to continue serving beef in their school lunch rooms and 90% had a positive perception of beef. Engaging with school nutrition professionals enables the checkoff to keep beef menu options top of mind year-round with delicious student-approved ground beef recipes.

For more information about this event, visit the PBC’s Facebook page.

Media Contact: Jennifer Orr; jorr@pabeef.org

State Beef Councils Help Culinary Professionals Receive Enhanced Beef Industry Education

Sixteen culinary experts from across the country got a taste of the beef industry during the Pasture-to-Plate Beef Tour, sponsored by state beef councils in California, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas. Invited to the Beef Checkoff-funded event were the culinary chairs responsible for the 28 International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes across the country. The nonprofit Art Institutes operate the largest system of culinary schools in the United States.

The tour was held June 25-27, and featured a visit to a cow-calf ranch, feedlot, and the JBS beef processing facility in northern Colorado. Attendees also took part in presentations from beef experts to help reinforce beef’s role in a sustainable food system, received ideas for incorporating sensory and beef umami exercises into their classrooms, and had an opportunity to participate in a beef cooking competition that demonstrated their culinary talents.

The spark for development of this tour was generated last fall during the California Beef Council’s (CBC) Beef Leadership Summit, according to the CBC’s Christie Van Egmond, director of retail and foodservice marketing. At that time Dave Hendricksen, the national culinary director for the Art Institutes, expressed interest in giving the Institutes’ culinary leaders more backgrounding in the beef industry.

“This is a great way to connect the next generation of chefs with those that produce the food,” Hendricksen said. He said it was “critical” this type of information gets carried down from the participating culinary leaders to the students in culinary schools studying to be chefs or operation managers.

Standing out to those attending the tour was the well-being of animals throughout the process, Hendricksen said. “The constant theme of this event was animal welfare and the care for the environment,” he said. “It was amazing.”

“This is a valuable partnership that should continue into the future,” said CBC’s Van Egmond, who helped organize the tour. “The beef information and experiences we shared will funnel down through the curricula in the Art Institutes’ culinary schools nationwide. Just as important, the relationships we are developing are an important component of our Beef Checkoff efforts to build stronger bonds with those who have an impact on beef demand.”

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Leading the Way

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