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Frequently Asked Questions

Getting beef from the pasture to the consumer’s plate is a complex process, and successfully moving beef through the supply chain is just one part of it — then, the Beef Checkoff’s Channel Marketing Program comes in.

The Beef Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Channel Marketing Program promotes beef through various distribution channels, such as retail stores, distributors, manufacturers and restaurants. By building relationships with these channels and supply chain operators, the Beef Checkoff can effectively target and engage with customers directly where they shop and dine. The Channel Marketing Program provides knowledge, education and resources to drive supply chain operators’ marketing decisions to sell more beef.

A TRUSTED BEEF RESOURCE

The Beef Checkoff has established itself as the educational and promotional beef hub for its supply chain partners. How? By delivering high-value content about beef that informs their beef buying and marketing decisions.

The Beef Checkoff connects with its partners and food professionals through the popular Beef News Now newsletter. Distributed to 4,300 industry professionals, the bi-monthly newsletter delivers the latest foodservice and retail news, trends and hot topics from the beef industry. Additionally, these professionals are encouraged to attend Checkoff-funded educational webinars, which focus on topics like beef sustainability and consumer insights for both retail and foodservice.

Another resource available to food professionals is Beef University. Customers rely on foodservice professionals and butchers to be expert sources on the foods they purchase. The Beef University modules provide information on how beef is raised, how to select and prepare various cuts of beef, and the health and nutrition benefits of beef. Once food professionals understand beef’s ‘ins and outs’, they can deliver superior customer service and improve their bottom line.

EVENT ENGAGEMENT

The Channel Marketing team can also be seen at industry conferences and events, alongside key decision makers from across the supply chain. This past fall, the team was invited to present at the Performance Food Service (PFS) Protein Summit. PFS is a leading national foodservice distributor with operating companies across the U.S., servicing thousands of foodservice operators. Participating in the summit provided the opportunity to share beef insights and trends, arming protein specialists with information and resources they can use with their top beef customers. Additionally, the team was active at the Annual Meat Conference and National Restaurant Association show. These events allow the Beef Checkoff to deepen relationships with existing partners and establish relationships with new accounts to sell more beef.

Another event coming up this fall is the Beef Business Summit, an exclusive, immersive event for leaders from top retail, foodservice, distributor and manufacturing companies. The three-day event will focus on all things beef and provide solutions to optimize beef sales in the changing marketplace. The event’s goal is to build loyalty and partnership and ultimately drive beef sales.

Leading companies, from quick-service restaurants to fast-casual restaurants to manufacturer partners, also have the opportunity to work with the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Culinary Center1. Here, these partners can receive help with menu development, explore current trends and market insights, experiment with new cuts and cooking methods or expand existing beef items into new menu concepts.

Through these efforts, the Beef Checkoff works to provide industry professionals, partners and companies with valuable beef facts and insights they can apply to improve their businesses.

E-COMMERCE CAMPAIGNS

The Channel Marketing Program also directs e-commerce efforts, capitalizing on the growing trend of online food shopping. E-commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace. Looking only at grocery data, projections are that e-commerce will make up 20 percent of the grocery market by 20262.

The Beef Checkoff’s e-commerce projects involve partnering with national grocery and restaurant chains across the U.S. These projects meet consumers at their purchasing decision points and drive measurable results as the team can track a consumer from advertising to purchase, showing a direct return on investment. In 2023, e-commerce campaigns delivered an average return on ad sales of $47. This means that, on average, every $1 invested resulted in $47 in beef sales, a tremendous return on investment.

One recent e-commerce campaign with a national club store delivered the highest return on investment to date, with $18M in incremental beef sales. This campaign delivered an average return on ad sales of $93. This means that, on average, every $1 invested resulted in $93 in beef sales.

Beef nutrition was the focus of the most recent e-commerce campaign that ran during American Heart Month. “Lean Beef. Smart For Your Heart” ads were seen by consumers shopping on retailer websites and mobile apps, as well as on popular consumer websites like Weather. com, the Today Show online and more. Campaign results showed that 26 percent of the ad-exposed buyers were new and had not purchased beef from the retailer in the past year, demonstrating that e-commerce can be powerful in inspiring consumers to choose nutritious beef.

New this year is the addition of regional e-commerce campaigns, reaching a broader audience of online consumers. These campaigns will support the Checkoff-funded Little League effort by promoting beef in the cities where the Little League playoffs and Little League World Series will be held.

Also, coming up this fall, a national tailgating campaign promoting beef as the protein of choice for game day. Eighteen State Beef Councils and the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, will also participate in this campaign to extend the messaging into their local markets.

Through these collective efforts, the Beef Checkoff drives beef sales and empowers leading supply chain partners with solutions, expertise and resources to help them confidently menu and market beef.

Frequently Asked Questions

Today, approximately 400 veal farms are located in the U.S. These veal producers also pay into the Beef Checkoff, which helps the Beef Checkoff-funded National Veal Program. Managed by the Beef Checkoff contractor, Meat Institute, and subcontractor New York Beef Council (NYBC), this team produces promotional campaigns and develops educational pieces to increase consumers’ interest and trust in veal.

Here’s how the consumer-facing brand Veal – Discover Delicious capitalizes on veal’s unique taste, value and versatility through social media, e-commerce and more.

E-Commerce Success

E-commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace. Looking at grocery data, projections indicate that e-commerce will make up 20 percent of the grocery market by 20261. The Veal – Discover Delicious team has capitalized on this growing trend of online food shopping.

In a partnership with Giant Eagle, a regional supermarket chain with more than 470 locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana, a digital campaign beginning in March and running until the end of May encouraged consumers to purchase veal. More than 669,000 consumers explored veal options and 550 veal units were sold.

Social Media Impact

Veal – Discover Delicious also leverages social media to provide consumers with engaging content about veal meal solutions, nutrition information, preparation and veal versatility.

Last spring, the team launched its first TikTok ads, which were delivered to consumers more than 100,000 times, resulting in 1,282 link clicks to Veal.org. Across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, digital ad campaigns also garnered impressive performance, with nearly 3,000 link clicks and more than 67,000 views.

The goal of these social media efforts is to attract veal customers to Veal.org to explore recipes, receive veal information and purchase veal products. During the time period of April to June 2024, Veal.org reached 42,531 unique users.

Homemade Partnership

Another fun, exciting tactic Veal – Discover Delicious is executing is a partnership with Homemade Cooking. Managed by professional chefs, Homemade Cooking offers free online cooking classes.

Beginning in March, Veal – Discover Delicious kicked off the 2024 Culinary Series with Homemade and featured four cooking classes: Herb-Crusted Rack of Veal, Green Chile Enchiladas, Banh Mi Burgers and Lemony Veal Schnitzel. The first class attracted 870 registered participants. In these classes, attendees not only learn how to cook a delicious recipe but also learn about the difference between veal and other beef products by emphasizing its tenderness and mild, adaptable flavor.

Re-watch the classes on homemadecooking.com

Food Service Engagement

Veal – Discover Delicious also fosters relationships with chefs and food service partners and decision-makers to educate them about how to successfully utilize veal in their professional capacities.

One event in which Veal – Discover Delicious participated was the American Culinary Federation Webinar. Here, 110 chefs and culinary professionals listened to the Beef Checkoff’s veal team explain the ins and outs of the veal industry, veal cuts and price points, as well as how to incorporate veal into their menus.

It’s important that this group of professionals understand veal’s benefits and can advocate for the industry. At these events, attendees learn how veal is distinctive in the meat space. A three-ounce serving of cooked, trimmed, lean veal has just about 170 calories, making it one of the most nutrient-dense protein foods around2.

Also, veal provides 29 percent of the recommended daily intake of zinc, 36 percent of niacin and 23 percent of vitamin B-12. In short, it provides a fat and calorie profile similar to chicken but with the nutrient density of beef3.

Although veal represents a small portion of the protein market, it plays a significant role in the U.S. beef and dairy industries and helps contribute to the Beef Checkoff. As such, the Beef Checkoff actively works to share the progressive message of veal’s protein strength, versatility, transparency and sustainability.

To learn more about the National Veal Program and access educational resources, visit: Veal.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

INSIDE THE CULINARY HUB OF THE BEEF CHECKOFF

Culinary arts are at the core of the Beef Checkoff because, at the end of the day, the ultimate measure of consumer support and satisfaction lies in beef’s great eating experience. The Beef Checkoff is a leading voice and resource for beef culinary knowledge, experiences and innovation worldwide. This vision comes to life within the Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Culinary Center.

Located inside the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) headquarters in Centennial, Colorado, the Culinary Center is so much more than a kitchen – it’s a hub for fostering innovation and culinary exploration. Many Beef Checkoff-funded programs and initiatives are housed in this space, including new recipe development and cooking techniques, exploration of new cuts and technologies, influencer and chef partnerships, media tours and foodservice innovation sessions. Whether directly or indirectly, all Beef Checkoff-funded programs, from promotion to research to consumer information, leverage the data and insights generated at the Culinary Center.

HISTORY

The official Beef Checkoff Culinary Program launched when the National Livestock and Meat Board and the National Cattlemen’s Association merged in 1996. The Culinary Center initially operated at the NCA office in Chicago before being relocated to Centennial, Colorado, in 2001.

From the beginning, the program has led to the development of hundreds of culinary publications, along with countless cooking demonstrations, product tests and many educational seminars. Now, the program’s culinarians and chefs are conducting webinars. Historically, more than 2,500 beef recipes have been developed, changing over time to fit consumer cooking trends and preferences.

RECIPE HUB

Currently, there are more than 1,000 active recipes on the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website, most of them developed by the Checkoff’s culinary team and the rest by influencer chefs and industry professionals. The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website receives 8.8 million visitors annually.

On average, the culinary team develops 25 recipes each year. These recipes are typically in line with seasonal campaigns, like the upcoming Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Summer Grilling campaign, where inspirational recipes will be categorized as Grilling Favorites, The Tastiest Burgers, BBQ for You or Flavorful Smoked Beef Recipes.

The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website is the central location for all recipes. In addition to recipes, cooking guides, and other consumer information, there are cutting guides, cut charts, menu inspirations and additional culinary information for industry professionals.

Promotion and advertising efforts — from social media to traditional print consumer publications to commercials on streaming services like Hulu and Paramount+ — drive people back to the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website. There, consumers are inspired to try new recipes and purchase beef.

female chefCULINARY TEAM EXPERTISE

Today, the Culinary Center has grown and evolved from its relatively humble beginnings, featuring consumer and foodservice food production and testing. Two in-house executive chefs share duties, with one focusing on consumers and the other concentrating on business-to-business efforts.

The Executive Chef of Innovation and Culinary Services leads the culinary catering and recipe development functions as well as product culinary exploration.

The Executive Chef of Outreach and Education provides culinary expertise, content development and education to culinary professionals throughout the beef industry, including restaurant operators, food service distributors, retailers and manufacturers. This chef also works with culinary educators and state and national culinary associations.

In addition to recipe development, the culinary team extensively researches beef cuts, looking for new ways to apply cooking techniques like the use of pressure cookers, and how to better the craft of beef preparation. The practice of “beef cookery” also takes place, testing and developing optimum cooking times for various cuts of beef. Not all people want a recipe; they may want guidance on how to cook a particular cut, such as a steak on the grill, or safe food handling techniques. Contributors like Ph.D. meat scientists also come in to advise on new cuts and cooking exploration, and nutritionists counsel on nutrition values.

The executive chefs and culinary team also collaborate with notable chefs and leading culinary experts from around the globe to provide consumers with highly engaging content and reliable beef information.

PROGRAM COLLABORATIONS

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. partners with celebrity chefs, culinary instructors and other subject matter experts to create educational and inspirational content for consumer audiences. These partnerships result in multiple video series filmed in the Culinary Center and released on YouTube, social media platforms and streaming services. The videos highlight the pleasurable eating experience and versatility of beef. Recent video series have showcased familiar and famous chefs to attract viewers through:

  • Beef Substitutes: Turning a traditionally non-beef recipe into a beef recipe.
  • Making the Most of Your Meals: Making two recipes, with the second being made from leftovers of the first.
  • Tips & Tricks: Chef’s personal tips for making the best beef meals. This series garnered 6.7 million video views.

CULINARY CENTER EVENTS

Foodservice innovation sessions are also happening in the Culinary Center. Leading companies from quick service restaurants to fast casual to manufacturer partners have worked with the Culinary Center to get help with menu development, explore current trends and market insights, experiment with new cuts and cooking methods or expand existing beef items into new menu concepts. The Beef Checkoff collaborates with a restaurant’s executive team to explore ways to improve existing beef menu items or create new items to increase customer satisfaction and beef sales.

Additionally, educational webinars for industry partners and State Beef Councils, inspiration demonstrations, ideation sessions, cutting and cooking demonstrations, influencer video sessions, recipe photography, educational videos and tours all happen at the Culinary Center.

SATELLITE MEDIA TOURS

Another compelling use of the Culinary Center are satellite media tours, or SMTs. During these sessions, TV and radio stations nationwide dial into the Culinary Center to join the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. team and chat with beef subject matter experts, chefs and nutritionists about a predetermined, newsworthy topic that often also includes beef recipes. Three to four media tours occur annually, with topics ranging from heart health, tailgating, back to school, sustainability, summer grilling and the holidays, among others.

During a typical media tour, TV and radio broadcasters conduct approximately 20-25 interviews within a number of hours. These interviews are redistributed and posted multiple times, resulting in more than 1,000 placements on TV, radio and online.

These cumulative efforts drive beef sales and boost consumers’ positive perception of beef. In addition to national efforts, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. team also leverages culinary programs on the state level.

STATE SUPPORT

State Beef Councils utilize the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. team to develop recipes, conduct educational webinars for influencers or industry partners, assist with various on-site events and consult on recipes and other culinary needs. New this year, the culinary team will be supporting State Beef Councils with recipes specifically developed for their market needs. The goal is to create eight new recipes directly supporting the states this year.

From its inception to its present-day initiatives, the Culinary Center is a hub for innovation and collaboration, shaping the landscape for the Beef Checkoff’s promotional efforts and driving beef sales.

Explore all the beef recipes and resources at BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Positioning Beef as the Preferred Protein for College and High School Sports Teams

Did you know that 81 percent of consumers trust branded sponsorships at sporting events1? The Beef Checkoff aligns beef and athletics — especially in the highly populated Northeast region near New York City — through partnerships with college and high school sports teams. The Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff, spearheads this effort to reach athletes and fans alike with positive beef messaging.

Value of Athletic Partnerships

Integrating beef messaging into athletics is a “surround-sound approach,” meaning the partnership’s components — like on-site and in-game fan interaction, digital ads, social media content and student-athlete engagement — run consistently throughout the athletic season.
This approach provides a greater return on Beef Checkoff investments than a one-time event sponsorship. Reaching consumers multiple times throughout the athletic season keeps beef top of mind and extends trust and confidence in beef safety, nutrition and eating experience.
“The goal of these partnerships is to drive a greater understanding of beef by aligning with and capitalizing on the loyalty fans have for their sports teams,” said Kaitlyn Swope, NEBPI’s director of consumer affairs. “This is an opportunity for ‘always-on’ programming efforts, driving a greater return on producers’ investment.”

Penn State Athletics

Checkoff-funded sports sponsorships began in 2019 when NEBPI partnered with Penn State’s sports properties, supported by the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) and Colorado Beef Council (CBC.) This collaboration came to life during football season in various ways:

  • An in-person experience with a “beef booth” took place at Penn State’s Fan Fest before the university’s home football game versus Michigan. Beef was promoted to an in-stadium crowd of 110,669, not accounting for the avid fans who simply came to tailgate and enjoy the pre-game festivities. Thousands of tailgaters visited the beef booth to visit with Northeast beef producers, try a strip steak sample and get beef recipes, information and nutritional facts.
  • An enter-to-win social media campaign hosted on the Penn State Athletics official Facebook page encouraged Penn State fans to share beef content for the opportunity to win a beef tailgate prize pack. Social media posts promoting the campaign reached fans nearly 360,000 times and helped generate almost 800 entries.
  • Digital banner advertisements for Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. on GoPSUsports.com reached fans nearly 290,000 times.
  • Weekly live readings during Penn State Football Coaches’ radio show promoted beef as part of a healthy diet.

The Penn State partnership continued into 2021 and 2022.

Seton Hall Athletics

In an ongoing effort to evolve and diversify the program by reaching new audiences, NEBPI began a partnership with Seton Hall athletics during the 2021-2022 season, with support from the IBIC. This sponsorship resulted in naming beef the “Preferred Protein of the Seton Hall Pirates,” and continued into the 2023 season as well.
Located in South Orange, New Jersey, Seton Hall University is less than 20 miles from the heart of New York City. This partnership allowed the Beef Checkoff to reach more than 800,000 Seton Hall Pirates fans throughout the New York market area.
Fans saw beef messaging in many ways throughout the Pirates’ athletic season. More than 145,000 fans attended Seton Hall’s home basketball games at the Prudential Center where they saw in-arena beef signage and had the chance to win a beef prize pack during the Pirates’ shuffle video board game. Additionally, this partnership included:

  • Radio callouts: beef received one 15-second in-game live mention during all Men’s Basketball
    Game day program messaging: The 40,000 programs distributed throughout the Men’s Basketball season contained beef messaging.
  • On-site interactive table display: NEBPI staff were on site and engaged with fans, students and alumni using an interactive table display during the Seton Hall versus Rutgers Men’s Basketball game.
  • Fan365 digital ads: These ads connected the NEBPI brand with Seton Hall Pirates fans and drove traffic to the NortheastBeef.org website. Fans saw these ads more than 255,000 times.
  • Beef Up Your Homegate sweepstakes: The Seton Hall Athletics Facebook page encouraged fans to enter for a chance to win a beef prize kit. More than 18,500 fans entered to win.
  • Video series with Registered Dietitians: NEBPI aligned with the Pirates by creating a live, weekly custom video series that featured dietitians Beth Stark with NEBPI and Matt Abel with Seton Hall.
  • Athletic Director Newsletter ads: Beef messaging was included in the monthly Athletic Director Newsletter that was sent to more than 40,000 Pirate fans.
  • Seton Hall University Weekend: NEBPI staff engaged with fans, students and alumni during Seton Hall University Weekend.
  • Student athlete refueling station: NEBPI educated Seton Hall Pirate athletes about beef all season long through beef recipes and nutrition information.
    This year, NEBPI entered its first-year partnership with the University of Connecticut (UConn) Athletics for the 2023-2024 season. There are nearly 340,000 known UConn fans in the Northeast area. NEBPI will continue to evaluate potential opportunities with college athletics in the Northeast region to drive demand for beef.

High School Athletics

Beef promotion efforts also make an impact in high school athletics. During the 2022-2023 athletic season, NEBPI entered the high school athletics realm for the first time by partnering with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), funded by the Montana Beef Council. This partnership continued into the 2023-2024 season.
PIAA reaches more than 350,000 students, coaches, athletic directors, trainers and fans in more than 1,400 schools in Pennsylvania. Elements of this partnership could be seen in print ads, educational flyers, monthly e-blasts, locker room posters, event signage, event commercials and on-site activations.
NEBPI saw positive results with the PIAA partnership and decided to expand the geographic reach of high school athletic partnerships. With funding from the South Dakota Beef Industry Council, NEBPI partnered with the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA), which has 51 member high schools and 85,000 students. Additionally, with a Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement program grant, NEBPI worked with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), which has 435 member high schools and 283,650 student-athletes.

Growing Consumer Trust

By aligning with athletics to share beef’s multiple advantages, the Beef Checkoff is encouraging student-athletes, coaches, fans, nutritionists and more to learn about beef’s role in a healthy, active lifestyle.
“I think beef producers should be excited about these program efforts because they provide a unique opportunity to reach consumers within the Northeast region’s targeted, highly populated metropolitan areas,” Swope said.

To learn more about NEBPI’s efforts to drive demand for beef in the Northeast visit here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

My husband Pat and I own and operate a cow-calf operation and produce diversified row crops near LaMonte, Missouri. However, as much as I enjoy farming, my true passion is education. I was a teacher for 32 years, working in pre-K and elementary classrooms and assisting students as a library media specialist and technology coordinator.

Now, as a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Consumer Trust Committee, I’m finding new ways to enjoy “teachable moments” – spontaneous opportunities to answer questions and engage producers and consumers in conversations about the Beef Checkoff –and the programs it funds to drive beef demand. One program that particularly resonates with me as a former educator is managed by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (AFBFA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

AFBFA brings agriculture back into the classroom with its “On The Farm” STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program. This program shares the realities of farm life and food production through a variety of resources along with in-person teacher farm and ranch tours. STEM educators get an annual, immersive professional development experience that combines food and agriculture with science education. Then, they take what they’ve learned back to their students, exponentially broadening the program’s reach.

Why does this program matter? Because far fewer schoolchildren today are exposed to agriculture, they often don’t understand where their food comes from. I used to experience that every fall, when I’d bring corn stalks with ears attached to my classroom for a door display. Many students – even in an agriculture-rich state like Missouri – wanted to know how I “made that corn” because it didn’t look like the corn that was a part of last Sunday’s dinner. I was able to explain why field corn looks different from sweet corn and how beef producers harvest and use it. However, in urban areas, teachers usually don’t have an agricultural background, which is why sharing the farming experience with them is so important.

The twelfth and most recent On The Farm in-person tour took place in June, when 29 teachers and school administrators from across the country representing 70,000 students traveled to Colorado for an event hosted by the Colorado Beef Council. Participants visited with experts from across the cattle industry to better understand how to integrate animal agriculture into their STEM classrooms back home.

Day One included learning about elements of cattle feed. Attendees also began developing their own lesson plans centered around the involvement of STEM in the beef cattle life cycle. On Day Two, attendees toured Colorado State University’s AgNext research facility to learn about methane measurement and how researchers observe and research cannulated cows. In addition to the in-person tours, this program included two pre-tour webinars that led up to the multi-day, in-the-field, immersive experience, one post-tour webinar and a structured professional development community. Previous On The Farm STEM tours have taken place in Portland (OR), Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, Nashville, Minneapolis, Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Syracuse (NY), Kansas City and Boston, providing different agricultural perspectives from around the country.

AFBFA’s efforts go beyond the On The Farm tours. They work with teachers across the country to integrate Checkoff-funded elementary, middle and high school beef curriculums into their lesson plans in multiple ways, like offering free resources, virtual workshops and so much more. By offering these well-rounded, immersive programs, the Beef Checkoff is giving hundreds of educators the knowledge and tools to effectively introduce students to beef production and the care and commitment beef producers dedicate to their herds.

Connecting agriculture with science helps these STEM educators foster a new generation of consumers who are better informed about beef and beef production. That’s incredibly important in today’s world where so much misinformation about agriculture and beef production exists. As a producer and an educator, I want consumers to better understand agriculture’s remarkable impact on us all – and the Beef Checkoff is helping make that happen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

My husband Craig and I are the fifth generation of the Moss family to farm and feed cattle here in Northwest Iowa. His parents, Arlan and Ruth, continue to work with us on the operation, and our two boys, Merritt (11) and McCoy (9), also pitch in as needed.

Years ago, a life-changing college internship with the Mississippi Beef Council launched me into the beef business. From there, I became even more engrained in the industry as part of the Montana Beef Council. I gained a lifelong passion for the beef industry, and I saw firsthand how important it is for producers to step up and become leaders. My husband currently serves as the Northwest Regional Vice President for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and I became a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board – the governing arm of the national Beef Checkoff program – earlier this year. It’s been an eye-opening experience.

You may know that the Beef Checkoff drives demand both here and internationally through various promotional efforts. However, you may not realize the Checkoff is also constantly addressing misinformation about beef. You’ve probably seen and heard a lot of chatter about beef recently, from dietary guidelines and sustainability claims to meat substitutes and animal welfare and everything in between. Of course, much of that chatter is not factual. However, it still has the potential to affect beef purchases at grocery stores or restaurants, which impacts not just my livelihood, but that of the nearly 800,000 other beef producers in the United States today.

During my relatively short time on the CBB, I’ve learned how the Beef Checkoff actively monitors television, online and social media to discover emerging issues that could threaten consumer confidence in beef. By knowing what issues are out there in real time, the Checkoff can fund research that will help the beef industry uncover and share the facts about our product’s sustainability, nutrition, safety and quality.

Those efforts come to life through Checkoff-funded initiatives like middle and high school curriculums about greenhouse gases and cattle, attendance at New York City’s Climate Week conference and immersion events that bring inner city teachers to real farms to learn about how much we producers care for our land and cattle.

There are partnerships with the American Heart Association to educate consumers about beef’s role in a healthy diet, as well as programs providing health care providers with educational content through webinars, in-office visits and at professional conferences. By sharing information through both consumer and professional outreach, the Checkoff can also respond to questions about how beef compares with other proteins, including the plant-based, alternative proteins that have emerged in recent years.

I’m proud to represent Iowa producers on the CBB. I now have the opportunity to share cattle producers’ perspectives from right here in Northwest Iowa with the rest of the country. And I know the Beef Checkoff will continue to focus on funding projects that have a tremendously positive impact on the American beef industry.

Not everyone is aware of how the Checkoff works, and that’s why I encourage my fellow producers with questions to get involved. Go to the meetings – they’re open to all producers. Come chat with me as one of your state’s CBB representatives. It’s by making our voices heard that we get the most value from this program we help fund.