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Frequently Asked Questions

Online grocery and meal ordering grew tremendously throughout the 2020 pandemic, and this trend is only expected to continue growing in 2021 and beyond. Today, 67 percent of consumers are buying groceries online for delivery or pickup 1. In a retail space that is advancing at such a high speed, the Beef Checkoff implements e-commerce advertising campaigns with major retailers like Target, Sam’s Club, Kroger and Chicory to accelerate sales of fresh beef.

These e-commerce campaigns feature Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. digital advertisements that run on retailers’ websites and apps. During the 2020 holiday season, the Checkoff partnered with Chicory, a digital shopper marketing platform, to boost beef sales. Chicory is famous for its signature “Get Ingredients” button that can be found on more than 1,500 recipe websites. The Beef Checkoff used Chicory technology with top national retailers – Kroger and Target. The holiday-focused beef content for Kroger was served to an audience of 27 million hungry consumers, and for every Checkoff dollar invested $4.45 in beef was sold. Target’s beef content was served to an audience of 29 million, and for every Checkoff dollar invested, $5.19 in beef was sold. Several state beef councils also partnered with this effort to boost their own campaigns and extend reach and impact.

After such a successful exploratory holiday e-commerce campaign, the Beef Checkoff ran a “kick-off to summer grilling” digital e-commerce campaign with Sam’s Club in April and May. This campaign featured Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. summer-focused content across Sam’s Club digital platforms. When a consumer is shopping on the Sam’s Club’s website or app, they’ll see a Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. banner, pop-up or other digital advertisements. The link in those advertisements takes consumers directly to Sam’s Club’s beef page, where it encourages members to buy high-quality beef online and try their Club Pickup format.

The Checkoff-funded Veal – Discover Delicious brand also implements e-commerce campaigns with Chicory and notable retailers to increase veal sales. In February and March, a Chicory campaign gave consumers the opportunity to add veal directly to their virtual shopping carts with the click of a button. Veal saw great success with its content being delivered to more than one million people and 2,531 veal orders were added to baskets.

The Beef Checkoff is already finalizing more digital marketing and e-commerce summer grilling campaigns with three additional national retail partners. Overall, online grocery ordering is here to stay, and the Beef Checkoff is committed to getting beef messaging in front of consumers, whether online or in-person.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

When looking at a restaurant menu, you’ll most likely see various meal options ranging from beef, pork, chicken, vegetarian and so on. If you’re like most cattlemen and women, you’d like to see more beef dishes available at different restaurants everywhere. And who are the people making the executive decisions about what’s on those restaurant menus? Chefs.

Chefs, restaurateurs and other culinary professionals have the power to develop new beef recipes, include more beef items on their menus and deliver the high-quality beef their customers love. Chefs’ efforts in the kitchen contribute to beef demand, and that’s why they’re such a crucial target audience for the Beef Checkoff.

To get more beef on more menus, the Beef Checkoff has invested producer dollars into chef outreach tactics. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, chef outreach has pivoted to include technology-driven efforts and events. This is ideal in some circumstances because it allows the Beef Checkoff to reach larger audiences.

Virtual media tours have effectively reached both consumer and culinary audiences. These tours featured celebrity chefs in the Checkoff-funded Culinary Center located at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) offices, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

The Culinary Center is an ideal location where chefs can develop and perfect their beef recipes. The virtual media tours hosted there offer reporters, newscasters and other media members from across the U.S. the ability to do one-on-one virtual interviews and news segments with celebrity chefs to learn more about them and why they love and choose beef.

In addition to the Culinary Center, NCBA has a Checkoff-funded restaurant engagement team dedicated to working with and appealing to professionals in the restaurant sector. This group of professionals executes the Beef News Now newsletter, which delivers the latest foodservice and retail news, trends and hot topics in the beef industry to food professionals. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, this team has encouraged and helped chefs adapt their menus to fit curbside and takeout trends.

Another Beef Checkoff effort to engage chefs was a video series that brought beef producers and chefs together to learn about beef’s lifecycle from pasture to plate. This unique video series was in partnership with Chef’s Roll, a global culinary community. It featured chefs on the ranch as they got a first-hand look at the care and best management practices producers put into producing high-quality beef. This series then shows the producers’ experiences as they tour the chefs’ restaurants to see how some of their most popular and complex beef dishes are made. The videos were shared with the Chef’s Roll culinary community through multiple social and digital channels, with their Instagram posts reaching nearly 800,000 culinary professionals. Through this video effort, thousands of chefs across the country are now enlightened on environmental stewardship, cattle handling techniques, quality control and animal welfare priorities.

Not only does the Beef Checkoff strive to reach chefs on a national level, but it also implements state-specific efforts through Qualified State Beef Councils (QSBCs).

Every QSBC implements its state-specific efforts and utilizes chefs through multiple initiatives. This can include recipe videos on YouTube and social media, live cooking classes, education-focused webinars on beef nutrition, cutting and serving techniques and promotional partnerships, to name a few.

One exciting state effort launched by the Texas Beef Council (TBC) is a new “Beef Loving Chefs” podcast. This gives chefs and others in the foodservice and hospitality industries the opportunity to share and listen to personal journeys, relationships and experiences with TBC and the Texas beef industry. One particular episode goes in-depth on one chef’s journey to modify his menu to capitalize on takeout demand and keep his restaurant afloat while in-person dining was prohibited.

On an international scale, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, also implements chef engagement tactics. USMEF executed numerous virtual cooking classes, training sessions, grilling workshops and demonstrations across the world this past year. At a particular training session, USMEF China showed chefs cutting and cooking best practices for Asian-style barbecue. U.S. beef cuts highlighted during this session were U.S. beef heart, hanging tender and top blade. More than 50 chefs and restaurant managers participated.

Whether it be a state, national or worldwide endeavor, the Beef Checkoff is dedicated to expanding chefs’ love of beef and getting more beef dishes on their menus.

Frequently Asked Questions

How the Beef Checkoff supports technology and state-of-the-art research to disseminate meat demand data and grow industry knowledge.

To help drive consumer beef demand, the Beef Checkoff works to understand beef’s place in the protein marketplace. To successfully understand beef demand, the Beef Checkoff must first recognize consumer demand, views and preferences for all proteins, including meat alternatives.

A One-Stop Shop

For Glynn Tonsor, Ph.D., understanding consumer meat and food demand comes naturally. While growing up on a hog farm in Missouri, Dr. Tonsor quickly developed an interest in agricultural markets and pursued that interest, eventually taking on his current position as a professor in the Agricultural Economics department at Kansas State University.

Today, Dr. Tonsor executes and authors the Meat Demand Monitor (MDM) project, funded in part by the Beef Checkoff and Pork Checkoff.

The MDM tracks U.S. consumer preferences, views and demand for meat with separate analysis for retail and foodservice channels. It is a monthly online survey with a sample of more than 2,000 respondents reflecting the national population. A third-party company continuously collects this consumer data every month. Overall, the MDM is a one-stop location for meat demand trends and assessments and is also available for all audiences.

Early on in his career, Dr. Tonsor noticed a knowledge gap on the demand side. According to him, one central theme continued to materialize through his research and discussions – producers don’t understand the importance of meat demand.

“Producers are used to watching the monthly cattle-on-feed report, reading annual cattle inventory reports and a whole wealth of supply-side monitoring, and that’s valuable,” he said. “On the demand front, there’s a lot less parallel information, and what does exist is pretty lax.”

Dr. Tonsor recognized the issue and information gap, talked to industry professionals, started a partnership with the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, and received approval and funding for the MDM project. In February of 2020, the MDM was officially up and running to increase knowledge about U.S. meat demand and help producers understand its importance.

Key Trends

Because the MDM was functioning before the coronavirus pandemic, the data gathered has proved valuable, specifically on foodservice versus retail insights.

“The main finding would be that, to date, retail beef demand has increased while foodservice peak demand has decreased,” Dr. Tonsor said. “This finding is important, not necessarily surprising, but we’re able to track it. And maybe at some point, we’ll see that being unwound. Hopefully, as 2021 concludes, we’ll start seeing the foodservice sector recover.”

The MDM has collected additional insights on the coronavirus’ impact on meat demand. These have been summarized in three separate COVID-19 special reports. The November report detailed how, even when consumers get vaccinated, about one-third of the people surveyed say they will not return to in-restaurant dining.

“Asking about a COVID vaccine isn’t in itself a meat demand question, but when you follow it up with a question like ‘How will you alter your dining out, sit-down and restaurant behaviors?,’ we’re able to understand what’s needed to help the recovery of the foodservice segment,” Dr. Tonsor said.

Analyzing these trends is critical for the Beef Checkoff to judiciously invest producers’ dollars in future projects to reach a new era of eating-at-home consumers.

Protein Values

Beef Checkoff marketing decisions take into account consumers’ protein values. These protein values—taste, freshness, safety, price, nutrition, health, appearance, convenience, hormone and antibiotic-free, animal welfare, traceability and environmental impact—are measured monthly and ranked by the respondent’s priority on the MDM.

Nearly all Checkoff-funded efforts and initiatives address at least one of these protein values, and more often than not, more than one. The MDM allows the Checkoff to continue measuring the relative importance of each protein value.

Every month the MDM results are consistent – taste, freshness and safety are a top priority for consumers.

“Every month, across 2,000 people, these protein values show more importance than things like animal welfare and environmental impact,” Dr. Tonsor said. “That doesn’t mean those values don’t matter, but they’re not the core decision driver for meat demand. They matter secondary, but not primary.”

These insights prove the Beef Checkoff should continue to invest in efforts and initiatives that sustain or enhance the taste, freshness and safety of beef.

Supporting Ongoing Information

As an industry, it’s hard to forecast the future. Often, industry stakeholders look back after the fact and wish there would have been more data available to make better decisions.

“I wish I had one or more years of pre-COVID meat demand monitor data. If I had that, I’d have richer insights on the COVID shocks,” Dr. Tonsor said. “I still consider this a success, and I hope others consider this a success, but this shows we need to continue to support projects that give us ongoing data and information.”

The Beef Checkoff is proud to partner with USCA and Kansas State University on this research project to grow knowledge on consumer meat demand.

MDM reports, survey instruments and raw data are available here: https://www.agmanager.info/livestock-meat/meat-demand/monthly-meat-demand-monitor-survey-data

Frequently Asked Questions

When consumers think about veal, they likely think that fancy, Italian, white-tablecloth restaurants are the only places that serve veal nowadays. The Beef Checkoff is changing that narrative and promoting veal as a nutritious, delicious option for any consumer.

The Checkoff-funded National Veal Program, executed by the New York Beef Council and the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) developed a new brand and website to invite consumers to “Discover Delicious” in veal.

Veal – Discover Delicious, integrates the former vealmadeeasy.com and vealfarm.com platforms and was developed with veal stakeholders’ input. The website features upcoming events, blog articles and cooking school information. Veal producers and other industry stakeholders can use the site to see extensive consumer outreach efforts. This website also shows consumers where to buy veal online, in butcher shops or at grocery stores.

Along with this website launch, the brand has several other ongoing campaigns and events. Here’s a program snapshot:

Family Features Campaign Highlights Veal’s Versatility – This social media and digital-focused campaign with Culinary.net uses veal as a popular and trending recipe ingredient for families. One new recipe was a buffalo baked veal cutlet sandwich. To date, this campaign has 725 total placements across the country in print media, online and social media networks, totaling 68,183,494 impressions.

Veal Wins Big on Chicory Promotion – An important goal of veal’s outreach is to touch different and new consumers, making them aware of veal as a protein option and how it can fit into their weekly meal choices. One way this was accomplished was through a campaign with Chicory, a digital shopper marketing platform that turns recipes into a retail environment and reaches consumers through an online recipe network. Consumers had the opportunity to add veal directly to their virtual shopping carts with the click of a button. Beef Checkoff dollars invested in this campaign were doubled by contributions from other brand partners, such as Victoria’s Pasta Sauce. Brand partners were complementary to veal, allowing consumers to see veal in a cooked application. The overall campaign was then supported by the Florida and Wisconsin State Beef Councils. This campaign ran from mid-February to mid-March, and at the second performance report in early March, there were more than one million impressions and 2,531 veal orders were added to baskets.

Consumers Gather for the ‘Love of Veal’ – Nine consumers joined both in-person and virtually from around the nation to take part in a veal cooking experience with Chef Patrick Rae and a wine tasting with Laurie Forster. The class taught consumers how to make two veal recipes with a romantic theme for Valentine’s Day. There was a 45 percent increase in comfort level among the participants in cooking veal following this class. Overall, participants gave the class 4.5 stars. More consumer cooking classes are planned for the rest of the year.

“SO enjoyed your For the Love of Veal virtual cooking class last night! I appreciate you taking the time to ‘de-mystify’ beef industry practices regarding veal, and I followed along with Chef Patrick’s instructions to make veal marsala, green beans and fingerling potatoes.” – Participant feedback.

National Collegiate Veal Cooking Competition – State Beef Councils in Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, Arizona and Florida connected with their culinary institutes and students to extend the opportunity to be a part of the State and National Collegiate Cooking Competition. Students take the time to learn about veal production and then create a recipe of their own design for a consumer audience. One winner from each state will receive a scholarship prize and compete at the national level for additional scholarship money. There has been a 125 percent increase in State Beef Council participation in this program since 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions

Major metropolitan areas like New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. in the Northeast are home to 72 million residents. With so many consumers in one region, the Beef Checkoff actively promotes beef in these cities along the I-95 corridor.

Checkoff-funded promotion to grow consumer trust in beef is executed through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff. NEBPI extends nationally developed Beef Checkoff messaging in the country’s heavily populated Northeast region, where there are only three active State Beef Councils and only 3.8 percent of all Beef Checkoff dollars are collected.

This gap between limited Checkoff dollar resources and a growing population of consumers in the Northeast created a clear opportunity to channel nationally collected Checkoff dollars into this region. NEBPI began in 2004 when representatives from various State Beef Councils and industry organizations in the Northeast region discussed the opportunity to initiate a program specifically for that purpose. In the fall of 2005, an authorization request to fund and initiate the NEBPI program was presented and approved by the Beef Promotion Operating Committee. Sixteen years later, NEBPI has seven State Beef Council funding partners – Colorado, Iowa, Virginia, Kentucky, South Dakota, Montana and Delaware – helping to promote beef in the northeast.

Here’s how NEBPI reaches consumers:

  • Channel Influencer Outreach – NEBPI strives to be the go-to resource for all things beef on the menu and in the meat case for Northeast retail and foodservice partners. NEBPI builds relationships with culinary schools, retail professionals and e-commerce companies.
  • Consumer Outreach – NEBPI connects Northeast consumers with Checkoff messaging to remind them of beef’s flavor profile, convenience and nutrient-density, as well as the trustworthiness of U.S. cattlemen and women. This area’s key program is reaching and engaging with Northeast metropolitan consumers at in-person events and through digital campaigns.
  • Nutrition Influencer Outreach – NEBPI shares nutrition science with health professionals and educators to build confidence in beef. Key programs include building relationships with health professionals, hosting qualified speakers to communicate science principles and coordinating immersion events to promote beef nutrition messages.
  • These objectives execute specific initiatives that promote beef in the Northeast. Here are just a few of NEBPI’s recent and upcoming efforts:
  • American Culinary Federation ChefsForum Webinar Series – On May 6, NEBPI will connect and engage with foodservice professionals through the ACF ChefsForum. These professionals will learn about the latest consumer market research. Attendees’ knowledge and perception of beef will also be measured.
  • Extending Beef in the Early Years to Northeast Consumers – To ensure the latest nutrition information reached Northeast consumers, the NEBPI teamed up with Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. to extend a YouTube video advertising campaign centered around Beef in the Early Years within the region. The campaign garnered nearly 700,000 video views of positive beef messages.
  • Bringing the Beef Lifecycle to Northeast Consumers – The Northeast Jr. Beef Ambassadors are showcasing the beef lifecycle through a series of virtual farm tours that will be leveraged to Northeast consumers on April 22, Earth Day, through the latest consumer workshop.
  • Beef Highlighted at Health and Fitness Expo – The latest information about beef’s nutritional benefits, beef recipes, an interactive cooking demonstration and more were shared during the 2021 NBC4 Health & Fitness Expo on March 19-20.
  • Reaching Maryland Physicians with Beef Nutritional Touchpoints – Through the use of virtual platforms, NEBPI engaged with Maryland Family Physicians during their winter meeting on February 27. NEBPI staff made meaningful connections, shared beef research and sent recipes and nutrition education materials for physicians and their patients.
  • Beef Teams Up with Culinary Chefs – NEBPI is partnering with the Culinary Nutrition Studio to support RDs and healthcare professionals learning to bridge the nutrition education gap. Partnerships with popular chefs helps change the conversation about discussing dietary protocols with clients.
  • AgriNutrition Webinar Series – Northeast nutrition communicators engaged with the Beef Checkoff through a three-part webinar series this fall with Marianne Smith Edge, MD, RDN, who provided understanding on sustainable food systems and consumer insights during the pandemic. The sessions had more than 280 views and NEBPI continues to see the positive feedback from the learnings.

Frequently Asked Questions

This March, the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is executing exciting new efforts to celebrate National Deli Meat Month. Determined to “beef up” the month-long celebration, NAMI is turning National Deli Meat Month into an American favorite.

Deli Meats Popularity

Growing National Deli Meat Month is key to expanding consumer demand for prepared beef – and research shows deli meat is extremely valuable to the beef industry.

Nielsen data from 2019 shows that meat items sold beyond the fresh meat department have a value of $23 billion, with $13 billion coming from the deli department. Additionally, The 2019 Power of Meat Report states that in a given month, shoppers were buying meat across the store, including 37 percent in the deli, 39 percent fully cooked and 49 percent frozen.

Ultimately, research has shown that consumers turn to deli meats, especially during unprecedented times. One remarkable data point tracked by 210 Analytics and IRI, a market research and data analysis company, in the first weeks of the global pandemic in March 2020 was that deli meat sales jumped as high as 40 percent over sales during the same week in March 2019.

Power in Numbers

To build upon consumers’ desire for deli meats, NAMI set a strong foundation for National Deli Meat Month in 2020. To do this, NAMI partnered with the National Pork Board (NPB) to create an entirely new campaign to promote and advance National Deli Meat Month. Together, an outreach campaign was directed to retailers, health professionals, dietitians, restaurateurs and consumers, encouraging them to enjoy their favorite deli meats and reminding them they can feel good about these popular cuts’ nutritional benefits.

This effort’s centerpiece was a newly created website –www.nationaldelimeatmonth.org – which provides a multitude of new resources including logos, messages, infographics, fact sheets, nutrition information and the latest news. Combined, these efforts reached consumers more than 600 million times and engaged more than 350,000 key opinion leaders. Partnering with the NPB helped generate momentum around National Deli Meat Month.

New Efforts

Throughout March, this momentum helped increase consumer demand for deli meats. The industry is now well-positioned to effectively grow National Deli Meat Month and adopt a long-term commitment to build upon each year.

Similar to past years, efforts to reach key audiences included press releases, television segments, eblasts, print ads and personal contact with top nutrition communicators. To upgrade things in 2021, NAMI and NPB developed more partnerships, created more activity opportunities and engaged with more retailers, health professionals, dietitians, restauranteurs and consumers than ever before. New assets, including an online toolkit complete with communication and activation ideas for retailers and producers, are available to inspire customer engagement and promotion at both the store and community levels.

A significant outreach effort to members, retailers and appropriate restaurants, like Subway and other sandwich chains, encouraged them to promote National Deli Meat Month – either using the existing materials or creating their own supporting activations. Additionally, NAMI has forged a new partnership with the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) to extend this outreach and engagement to their membership, including more than 1,500 companies ranging from small independents to the world’s largest corporations.

To take advantage of fun, innovative virtual happenings, NAMI and NPB are executing Deli Dinner “Meat” & Greets. Building off of NAMI’s first Hot Dog Zoom Happy Hour success in 2020, Deli Dinner “Meat” & Greets will feature nutrition communicators and big brands as a way to encourage a break from the long-held image of deli meat as only lunch and sandwich options.

Also new this year is a National Deli Meat Month TikTok promotion. NAMI has seen great success through TikTok in the past year, and it plans to grow prepared beef’s presence on the platform. In partnership with The Food Renegades, a division of The Digital Renegades digital marketing agency and a chef alliance on TikTok, NAMI and NPB will be launching an exciting effort for National Deli Month that includes leading influencers sharing their enthusiasm for deli meats.

Overall, as National Deli Meat Month moves into its second year of promotion, NAMI is confident these efforts are only just the beginning, and consumers’ love of deli meat will continue to grow.

woman explaining graphs on a whiteboard

Frequently Asked Questions

One primary goal for the beef industry is to build consumer trust in both beef and the cattlemen and women who produce it. However, the question is, where’s the best place to start? As a part of its efforts to drive beef demand, the Beef Checkoff works diligently to find innovative and effective ways to help consumers understand beef’s safety, nutritional value and sustainability. In fact, the Checkoff invests producer dollars to educate tomorrow’s consumers today. By connecting with the young minds of U.S. schoolchildren and their teachers through various learning opportunities, the Checkoff can positively influence the way these future consumers think about beef and instill confidence in production practices.

Through the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (AFBFA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, beef education and learning opportunities for teachers are now available across the country. Through AFBFA’s efforts, educators are able to teach beef production, science-based courses to middle and high school students through two different curriculums. The high school unit is centered around genetics and heredity. Students explore the variety of cattle breeds and discover that cattle are specialized for different purposes and while similar, the ‘SuperCows’ are clearly unique. Students wonder what caused this diversity and specificity which leads to investigations about the role of inheritance, DNA and proteins. The middle school unit covers ecosystem dynamics and interactions. Students learn that ecosystems, animal behavior and symbiosis were developed through the Storyline approach. This unit covers why prairie chickens have a unique dance and the role cows play to help ensure the dance takes place. Using this approach, students engage in science concepts to help ensure the survival of the prairie chicken. These two units were released in a pilot program in 2019 in classrooms in Oregon, Georgia, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee.

Teachers can also attend virtual educational events and other learning opportunities that demonstrate how the beef production process provides an excellent context for exploring science. Hear from the teachers themselves on their experiences learning and teaching about beef.

Do you think these courses will help influence the way young people view agriculture and beef products?

“Absolutely! The more we incorporate agriculture into everyday lessons, the better we can show how everything in some shape or form is connected to the industry. Showing a science-based outlook has engaged and captivated many students. There is a scientific process behind every agriculturist, which is what needs to be shown and portrayed in our schools, especially to younger students.” – Gerald Hosler, Agricultural Sciences Teacher at McKay High School in Salem, Oregon.

“This curriculum allowed most students to think critically about where their beef products come from. Through this curriculum, students were able to see agriculture as a field of science. They could also see all the high-tech career opportunities that are available.” – Patti Howell, Biology Teacher at Baconton Community Charter School in Baconton, Georgia.

What was your personal experience teaching the pilot program?

“The curriculum was built on a phenomenon-based teaching model. This model requires the teacher to step back and allow students to be curious and question their natural world. The unit then builds off of student questions. This was groundbreaking for me as a teacher. It taught me how to be ‘off-stage’ and allow the students more freedom with their learning. I saw huge growth in student participation and growth in my teaching style.” – Sheli Wagers, Science Teacher at Claggett Creek Middle School in Keizer, Oregon.

How did your students benefit from the beef production curriculum?

“I heard a lot of them mature in their conversations over the time we spent on this unit. 3D learning requires students to have a lot of small group conversations. Students struggle with this. This curriculum, however, was interesting and challenging enough to keep them involved and on task. Students’ abilities to have meaningful conversations improved. I think this skill will help them tremendously throughout their lives.” – Patti Howell

Why should beef farmers and ranchers support Beef Checkoff investments in teacher and student education?

“They should support investments in education because education is going to have the biggest impact on the industry. Exposing students to the industry and its practices can help shape and change the industry in many positive ways. We have a dire need to be innovative and develop more efficient ways to feed our populations while taking care of our land, and to do that, we need younger generations involved.” – Gerald Hosler

“I am so appreciative of the support from beef farmers and ranchers. Their support allowed me to attend AFBFA’s learning conference and bring back awareness to my students of how important the beef industry is. The students were so amazed to hear from farmers and ranchers in various parts of the beef production unit through video and reading. The ranchers expressed their years of hard work and how they turned their farms/ranches into productive conservation entities while remaining profitable.” – Sheli Wagers

two ranchers looking out into pasture

Frequently Asked Questions

Chefs and restauranteurs can have a significant impact on the beef industry’s success. Those who choose beef can develop new beef recipes that support beef demand, and they often act as beef advocates and representatives. They’re committed to delivering the high-quality beef their customers love – that’s why it’s essential they’re educated and confident in today’s beef production practices.

The Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand, managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in partnership with Chef’s Roll, a global culinary community, developed a unique and new video series to bring beef producers and chefs together. This video series takes chefs directly to the ranch, teaching them about cattle’s lifecycle and the process from pasture to plate. These chefs get a first-hand look at the care producers who follow the Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program put into producing high-quality beef. This series then shows the producers’ experiences as they tour the chefs’ restaurants to see how some of their most popular and complex beef dishes are made.

The three videos were shared with the Chef’s Roll culinary community through multiple social and digital channels, with their Instagram posts reaching nearly 800,000 culinary professionals. Through this video effort, thousands of chefs across the country are now enlightened on environmental stewardship, cattle handling techniques, quality control and animal welfare priorities. Watch as producers and chefs work together to deliver high-quality beef.

Executive Chef Ryan Clark of Casino Del Sol and Santa Fe Ranch Manager Dean Fish

Executive Chef Kathryn Mathis of BackdoorBBQ and feedyard manager Tom Fanning

Executive Chef Mark Keiser of Oak Steakhouse and 3rd generation cow-calf owner & farmer Kristy Arnold

 

Frequently Asked Questions

For years, beef producers and consumers alike could see the famous Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. advertisements across their television screens. Now, for the first time since 2003, iconic Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. advertisements are returning to broadcast television for the holiday season. In addition to the TV advertisements, a fully integrated marketing campaign executed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, will feature social media, retail e-commerce, influencer platforms, traditional media and more to promote beef as the protein of choice this holiday season. Here are five ways the Beef Checkoff is highlighting beef over the holidays.

1. Holiday Videos

Launched during the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas, the famous Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Drool Log was the main attraction during the commercials, which began running the week of November 16 and are ending on December 26. During this period, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. commercials are scheduled to run in more than 50 showings. The Checkoff-funded spots aired during highly popular timeframes, including movie “premiere” showings, the ever-popular “Thanksgiving Day Marathon” and the highly coveted “Countdown to Christmas” weekend spotlight.

Additionally, NCBA created new videos for the holiday season to promote through all social media platforms and digital channels. Here are some of the Beef Checkoff’s holiday videos:

2. Influencer Partnerships

To extend beef messaging over the holidays, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. partnered with Buzzfeed, a large content creator with Tasty Food Recipes and Videos, a segment within that brand. The Checkoff partnership with Tasty creator and beef lover Alvin Zhou resulted in a beef video demonstration, a live Buzzfeed Q&A, two custom beef articles and social media posts on the Buzzfeed channel. The goal was to gain 1.75 million video views and seven million impressions.

3. Audio Ads

To reach more of the Beef Checkoff’s consumer target audience – 25-44 millennial-aged parents – Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is airing audio ads through the popular music streaming app, Spotify. Spotify serves beef’s audio ads while the audience listens to holiday playlists, making the beef holiday-specific ads contextually relevant. It’s estimated that this effort garnered 4.5 million impressions.

4. Supply Chain Partnerships

A partnership with Gallo Wines showed how beef and wine are the perfect holiday pairing. Gallo wines presented a holiday offer for $15 back when a consumer buys a prime rib and two bottles of Louis M Martini wine. This partnership is available both in-store and online through retailers. Promoting this holiday offer will increase beef retails sales for December.

5. E-Commerce Marketing Through Target

Target is marketing direct to consumers and focusing heavily on fresh products. Because of increased traffic for ordering online, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. saw an opportunity to leverage beef messaging and have a shopping call to action for beef products through Target’s digital media offerings, like their Target app and Target.com.

beef on a board

Frequently Asked Questions

The Beef Checkoff’s efforts to position prepared beef as a nutritious option for any lifestyle.

“Processed” or “prepared” – both words describe ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook meats like hot dogs, beef jerky, deli meats and more, but which term sounds more appealing and resonates more positively with consumers?

According to research conducted by the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, “prepared” is by far the winning synonym. Consumers have a positive association with prepared meats, and 78 percent of those surveyed specifically say they would be more likely to purchase prepared meats over processed meats, and 71 percent say prepared meats are more healthful than processed meats.

This research was key for NAMI to determine the proper course of action to promote and strengthen prepared beef’s benefits. Numerous studies and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans affirm that prepared beef can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. These products provide consumers with a convenient and balanced dietary source of proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Through influencer relations, entertaining promotional campaigns and product innovation, NAMI advances prepared beef and changes the way consumers talk about these products.

  • Working with health professionals: NAMI works with registered dietitians, nutritionists and nurses who affirm and advocate prepared beef’s role in a balanced diet to their patients and clients.
  • Executing engaging campaigns: Promotional campaigns like hotdogs being the #PerfectZoomFood, National Deli Meat Month and #WeinerWednesday on TikTok are delivered in a light-hearted and entertaining manner to attract any consumer. In fiscal year 2021, NAMI will be working heavily with food influencers and chefs to implement a new #BeBeefPrepared campaign.
  • Creating new beef products: Products like Beefshi, an innovative sushi-style concept that uses prepared beef, encourage consumers to use prepared beef in innovative ways.
    The Beef Checkoff educates not only consumers and influencers about prepared beef but also the scientific community. NAMI may be front and center with its promotional efforts, but the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education (FMPRE), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, leads the research in beef processing and communicates its findings to the scientific community.

In further prepared beef nutrition research, FMPRE has a number of priorities. First, it wants to establish a risk-benefit analysis on the consumption of further processed beef as a component of a healthy lifestyle. FMPRE will also prepare comprehensive white papers to assess what is currently known about processed beef consumption and identify any potential data gaps on the mechanistic development of cancer in humans for processed beef components. Finally, the foundation will conduct menu modeling that demonstrates the role of further processed beef in the healthy dietary patterns identified in the 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines.

One specific FMPRE white paper, A Guide to Meat Processing for the Nutrition Community, serves as a guide for nutrition experts and the scientific community. This white paper assesses how meat is processed, common categories of processed meats and their characteristics, the meaning of different labeling claims and an overview of the nutritional benefits of meat consumption and public health implications.

In fiscal year 2021, FMPRE is soliciting and reviewing at least 15 different technical proposals on beef research. The foundation can directly apply research outcomes to help create a safer product and demonstrate how prepared products are safe, nutritious and fit in a healthy diet. Learn more about FMPRE’s research efforts here.

Whether it be communicating to consumers or the scientific community, the Beef Checkoff’s prepared beef research and promotion help position beef as a whole, the number one protein of choice.

students learning about beef production

Frequently Asked Questions

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (AFBFA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, builds awareness, understanding and a positive public perception of agriculture through education. The foundation does this through multiple efforts and initiatives that involve both students and teachers. Here are some examples of how AFBFA incorporates beef production education into classrooms across the U.S. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff.

1. Beef Production Courses for Middle and High School Students

AFBFA successfully developed a curriculum to show how cattle farmers and ranchers implement sustainable practices and utilize science standards to produce high-quality beef from field to fork. The new curriculum pilot began in November 2019 in classrooms in Oregon, Georgia, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee. Currently, the curriculum is being introduced nationwide through the National Science Teaching Association. Learn more about these courses.

2. Beef E-Learning Courses for Educators

Two livestream events attended by more than 1,000 educators discussed how the beef production process provides an excellent context for exploring science. Teachers learned how selective breeding and genetics can be used to meet human needs and how cattle interact within a grassland ecosystem. Educators from the top 10 largest school districts in the U.S. engaged with the livestream events, including New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, along with representation from more than 800 other school districts across the nation. Learn more about these events and see participant feedback.

“These were eye-opening events for many teachers who may not have considered the trade-offs of production practices and the science that drives those decisions. They began to see the nuances of production challenges rather than seeing those challenges and solutions as black and white,” said Brian Beierle, AFBFA program manager.

3. On The Farm Immersion for Educators

On The Farm STEM events are designed to help participants engage in purposeful dialogue while discovering real-world science education applications through the lens of farming and ranching. AFBFA engages all forms of science educators in these events, from traditional educators to non-traditional educators like outdoor learning center facilitators, museum education coordinators, STEM lab facilitators and health, nutrition and physical education teachers.

During the virtual September event, educators toured the Ruskamp feedlot near Dodge, NE and Dr. Chris Calkins’ meat lab at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. After each virtual video tour, educators connected with Joan Ruskamp and Dr. Calkins for question and answer sessions. During the event, AFBFA highlighted all of its beef resources and hosted a workshop with attendees to figure out ways to implement those materials in their classrooms. Explore the On the Farm STEM experience.

“Many educators were shocked at the in-depth knowledge and application of science involved in meat science. They were also astounded by the amount of engineering and design that goes into setting up and operating a feedlot and the great consideration ranchers take in land stewardship practices,” Beierle said.

4. State Beef Council Collaboration for Classroom Materials

AFBFA partnered with the New York Beef Council (NYBC) to provide New York teachers with classroom materials to facilitate instruction in beef production units. These kits included an ecosystem card set and chromosome/DNA modeling kits. AFBFA fully intends to partner with NYBC in the future and replicate this model with other states as a fiscal year 2021 initiative.

Whether through in-person or online interactive events, classroom materials or science course curriculum, AFBFA integrates beef production into today’s education system so consumers can understand and support beef production and the hardworking men and women who produce beef.

woman and child on ranch

Frequently Asked Questions

“No one is out there advocating for the beef industry to get national attention; we’re out here because this is our livelihood.” – Brandi Buzzard Frobose, blogger, cattle rancher and agriculture advocate.

Many producers have the same sentiment. They don’t want attention or stardom; they simply want consumers to understand beef production. They want to protect their way of life and advocate effectively for this industry. But the question is – where to start?

As an agriculture advocate for more than a decade, Buzzard Frobose has built a large following of both industry peers and urban consumers who are eager to learn about her perspectives on the ag industry. She is co-owner of High Bar Cattle Company with her husband, Hyatt, near Greeley, KS, and documents her advocacy efforts on her blog BuzzardsBeat.

As her following has grown over time, so has her knowledge and expertise when it comes to advocating and having productive conversations with consumers about beef and production practices. Buzzard Frobose attributes her skills, knowledge and conversational approach to the Beef Checkoff-funded Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) Program.

MBA Program

Facilitated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, the MBA program was created 10 years ago to help close the gap between pasture and plate by engaging beef industry advocates and equipping them to effectively communicate with consumers. The program’s free, self-guided online courses provide farmers, ranchers, service providers, consumers and all beef community members with the tools and resources they need to become beef advocates and answer tough questions about beef and raising cattle.

MBA consists of five lessons in beef advocacy, including:

  • The Beef Community – Context of raising beef from pasture to plate focusing on the community of people involved throughout the beef lifecycle.
  • Raising Cattle on Grass – An introduction to the first step in the beef lifecycle and the many benefits of raising cattle on our country’s vast grass pasture resources.
  • Life in the Feedyard – A discussion on the role of feedyards, including animal care, nutrition and environmental stewardship, at this important step in the beef lifecycle.
  • From Cattle to Beef – An in-depth look at the slaughter process and the humane handling and safety measures in place at today’s beef processing facilities.
  • Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. – A primer on choosing and cooking the right cuts of beef and the important role of beef in a healthful diet.

Today, more than 17,000 members of the beef community have participated in this program. One of those members is Buzzard Frobose, who integrates these lessons and resources into the beef stories she shares every day.

Key Lessons

It’s important for beef industry advocates to help consumers better understand how cattle are raised and how beef belongs as part of healthy, sustainable diets. Buzzard Frobose says an essential principle to keep in mind when engaging with consumers is listening to understand, not listening to be heard.

“The goal is to understand, engage and build a relationship with people,” Buzzard Frobose says. “Grocery shoppers do have concerns, and if we want to have a good rapport or engaging conversations with them, we need to listen to understand them and address those concerns conversationally and try hard not to get ‘preachy.'”

Another critical factor is to find common ground and share a personal example. For Buzzard Frobose, she can easily connect with an urban mom who wants to provide her family with healthy, nutritious food. “I may be a rancher, but I’m a mom and wife first who also has concerns for her family’s health,” she says. “I may not have anything else in common with that person, but I can connect and find common ground.”

Buzzard Frobose notes it’s critical not to get defensive when engaging with consumers. “If you’re going to open yourself up to questions, you need to be able and willing to open yourself up to some associated criticism too,” she says. “If you’re going to put yourself out there as wanting to answer questions, you need to answer the questions from the standpoint of wanting to build a relationship.”

All of these lessons help Buzzard Frobose genuinely connect with consumers. Her success in the advocacy field has led to interviews on national television networks, including CBS, FOX and MSNBC. “The MBA program gave me the skills I needed to write in a way that got me noticed outside of the agriculture vacuum chamber,” Buzzard Frobose says.

Certification Value

Whether Buzzard Frobose is writing a blog, drafting a social media post or speaking to a group, she references what she has learned through the MBA program. “Every week, I am accessing some MBA resource in one way or another,” she says. “The Beef Checkoff has the research. There’s no reason for me to dig around on Google when I can go to a Checkoff-funded website to get the scientifically proven information and facts that I need.”

Whether it be through the MBA program or other Checkoff-funded resources, the Beef Checkoff is dedicated to providing resources and tools to help advocates like Buzzard Frobose enhance their skills and successfully advocate for beef.

Learn more about the Masters of Beef Advocacy Program and get certified here.