Return to TFB Main Page
Return to Current Edition
Texas Agriculture Archive

November 18, 2005

2006 Beef Checkoff
funding approved

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee recently approved a comprehensive beef checkoff plan of work built upon consumer demand drivers including nutrition, safety and consumer enjoyment of beef. The plan would fund promotion, research and information programs in fiscal 2006 and is designed to build demand for beef using the checkoff funds of the Cattlemen's Beef Board.

The Operating Committee—10 producer representatives from the Cattlemen's Beef Board and 10 members from the Federation of State Beef Councils—carved out a selection of checkoff activities that it believes will create the best opportunities for cattle producers in the coming fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1. The plan was approved by the Department of Agriculture on Oct. 14.

Contractors whose program proposals are included in the plan are NCBA, the U.S. Meat Export Federation, the American National CattleWomen (ANCW), the Meat Importers Council of America, the National Livestock Producers Association, and the American Veal Association.

"We had a tough task to accomplish because we had so many great project proposals but obviously a limited number of dollars to invest," said Nebraska cattleman Al Svajgr, who serves as chairman of the Operating Committee and of the Cattlemen's Beef Board. "In the end, though, I think the committee pulled together a selection of projects that will give producers and importers who pay the checkoff the best possible return on their investment during the coming year."

The checkoff plan of work approved for fiscal 2006 includes:

•More than $27 million for promotion. Promotion efforts will include about $15.1 million for consumer advertising efforts coordinated by NCBA, in addition to support for retail marketing; the National Beef Cook-Off managed by ANCW; foodservice marketing; new product and culinary initiatives and veal promotion.

•About $7.44 million for research projects focused on a variety of critical issues, including beef safety, product enhancement and market and nutrition research.

•A total of $5.96 million for consumer information programs, including about $2.7 million for public relations, in addition to about $471,000 for youth education.

•$1.46 million for industry information projects. This area includes investment in beef, veal and dairy-beef quality assurance programs, the National Beef Ambassador program, and "issues management" efforts to get out accurate information about the beef industry and counter general misinformation from anti-beef groups.

•More than $2.4 million for producer communications, which includes communications with beef, dairy and veal producers through CBB, NCBA and state beef council efforts.

A separate $8.9 million in allocations from the Federation of State Beef Councils will further increase checkoff funding of the national promotion programs by $3.4 million; research by $1.2 million; consumer information by $766,000; industry information by $867,000; foreign marketing efforts by $2 million; and producer communications programs by $710,000.