Checking in on the Checkoff
 

 

June 20, 2008

 

 

This week: WHAT HAS THE CHECKOFF’S INDUSTRY INFORMATION PROGRAM AREA DONE FOR ME LATELY?

 

INDUSTRY INFORMATION, as defined in the Beef Promotion & Research Act, means “information and programs that will lead to the development of new markets, marketing strategies, increased efficiency, and activities to enhance the image of the cattle industry.” This includes programs such as issues management and public relations, the National Beef Ambassadors, and beef and veal quality assurance.

 

 

Beef Still King of the Grill – Nearly 80 percent of Americans like to cook out on the grill and beef is their food of choice when they do, according to a checkoff-funded survey measuring consumers’ passion for grilling. In fact, 83 percent of men and 76 percent of women say they like to grill, and 63 percent say they food they grill most often is beef. That’s three times the number that prefers chicken! When it comes to specifics, burgers are a favorite, but when it comes to steak, ribeyes, T-bones and sirloins lead the pack. Americans are going lean, too: Overall, 72 percent say they choose lean or extra lean ground beef for their grills. For a complete survey report, go to Grilling Survey.   

 

Taking Shots – The National Beef Ambassadors are launching a beef photo contest via the Web. The theme for the contest is “County Fair” and aims to focus on young beef producers demonstrating stewardship and proper handling practices with their cattle. Ambassadors plan to take photos and conduct interviews with youth and their steers and heifers at county and state fairs. The contest will run through the Labor Day.  For more about National Beef Ambassador activities, go to Raising the Steaks Beef Ambassador Blog.

 

Assuring Beef Quality – Representatives of 40 state Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs met in Kansas City last week for the 18th Annual BQA State Coordinators and Advisory Board Meeting. USDA Deputy Undersecretary Burton Eller addressed participants, saying that the checkoff’s BQA program came through during a tough time recently, when its forward-thinking and proactive educational programs proved strong in response to public concerns arising from the Hallmark Westland beef recall. State coordinators also discussed increasing involvement of dairy producers in Dairy BQA (DBQA), implementing the 2007 National Market Cow & Bull Beef Quality Audit, and standards for a national BQA certification program. In addition, the BQA Advisory Committee selected winners of the checkoff’s first-ever BQA Award for a dairy and a beef producer who exemplify commitment to high standards for product quality and implementation of BQA Best Management Practices. The winners will be announced at the 2008 Cattle Industry Summer Conference and will become part of a campaign to deliver positive beef-quality messages to retailers and consumers. For more about the checkoff’s BQA state coordinators, go to State Coordinators, or for more about regional dairy BQA programs, go to Dairy BQA Resources.

                                                   

Getting the Facts Straight – On May 13, the checkoff’s issues-management team set an interview between an ABC “World News Tonight” correspondent and Dr. John Maas, extension veterinarian at the University of California-Davis and an environmental expert and producer leader. The interview provided the beef industry perspective for an ABC segment about beef production and the environment. When the network chose not to air the beef industry perspective in the news story, the checkoff team followed up with letters – endorsed by Dr. Maas and beef industry environmental expert Tamera Thies – to ABC. For facts supplied about the beef industry’s commitment to the environment, visit Beef & the Environment. 

 

Commodity Coordination on FMD – Representatives of the beef, pork and dairy checkoffs recently met as the “Cross Species Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Communication Team” to host a one-of-a-kind tabletop exercise at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office in Riverdale, Md. The program illustrated to agricultural-media representatives and other participants the ongoing coordination among commodity groups and the federal government on the issue of FMD. It included presentations from Dr. John Clifford and Dr. Jose Diez of APHIS, and other communication, animal-health and producer representatives about industry preparedness, response plans and ongoing collaborative efforts. For more information about the national emergency response plan for FMD, go to FMD Response Plan.

 

 


 

*If you would like to be added or deleted from the distribution list for “Checking in on the Checkoff,” please send a quick note to Diane at dhenderson@beefboard.org.