News

Date: 5/22/2009 12:00:00 AM

Title: New News

This Week: What Has The Checkoff's PRODUCER COMMUNICATIONS Program Area Done For Me Lately?
PRODUCER COMMUNICATIONS means expenditures made to communicate about other checkoff programs – promotion, research, consumer information, industry information and foreign marketing – to producers who pay for them. This includes management of a paid information outreach, production of a Beef Board Annual Report and other program updates to producers, trade media news releases, maintenance of MyBeefCheckoff.com, participation in agricultural trade shows, and a producer attitude survey.

STATE/NATIONAL COORDINATION – State beef council staff were invited to participate in three checkoff producer communications Webinars between April 23 and May 19 in an effort to coordinate state and national producer messages and distribution channels. The Webinars walked state execs and other staff through checkoff-funded producer communications tools available to them, including information about how states can maximize use of the checkoff’s www.MyBeefCheckoff.com Web site; about accessing advertising materials available for state use and then customizing those; and about electronic tools, including state-specific newsletters, available to states through the national program. Participation varied from 14 to 23 states in each Webinar. Brief follow-up surveys of participants indicated strong ratings for relevance and usefulness to states, and several offered to participate in a pilot program to create checkoff news feeders on state Web sites. Taped versions of each Webinar are available to states that might not have been able to participate but would like the same information. If you’re interested in viewing any of them, they are available at the following links:

“Getting to Know MyBeefCheckoff.com Webinar,” April 23

“Using the Producer Communications Ad Resources Webinar,” May 5

“E-Tools for Producer Communications Webinar,” May 19

DESIGNED TO INFORM – When it comes to their own operations, producers largely believe the beef checkoff program has benefited them, and about seven in 10 think that the checkoff has helped contribute to their profitability over the years. That’s according to the latest checkoff-funded producer attitude survey. One key to success? Ongoing communications to producers about programs funded by their beef checkoff investment. That’s why the checkoff launched its producer-oriented Web site, MyBeefCheckoff.com, last summer. The site is updated on an ongoing basis with information that every producer needs to know – how the checkoff is investing their money and the results of those investments. Get to know other Beef Board members, or catch up on the latest checkoff news by visiting the site, which recently received a “2008 Best of NAMA” award from the National Agri-Marketing Association for the best agricultural Web site geared toward producers.

DELIVERING RESULTS – The checkoff delivered nearly 10,000 pieces of “mail” to ag-trade editors and broadcasters during the last month (this excludes the beef and dairy versions of the checkoff’s e-newsletter) in an effort to keep producers informed as to how checkoff dollars are being invested. Here are a few stories coordinated through trade media efforts:

CBB Chairman Lucinda Williams in Lancaster Farming

Oklahoma Horizon featured protein video footage

Greg Henderson writes about the checkoff's MBA program in his Drovers' editorial

Beef Safety Update on Cattlenetwork

CBB Member Dave Schubel Speaks with Chuck Jolley, Cattlenetwork

Be sure to visit the newsroom to read and hear more about what others are saying about the checkoff.

CHECKOFF TRANSPARENCY – In an effort to maintain transparency of the checkoff process and activities to all producers who pay the checkoff assessment, information from recent planning and budgeting meetings are posted on the checkoff’s MyBeefCheckoff.com meeting blog. In addition, a press release to ag-trade media maps out the Fiscal Year 2010 national checkoff budget recommendations that resulted from those meetings. To view the press release, go to CBB Budget Recommendation.