Operating Committee Looks At Helping In Japan

USMEF's Greg Hanes

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee is meeting in Denver this week, and the situation in Japan certainly is one of the things that came up in reviews of the checkoff program’s foreign-marketing efforts.

Greg Hanes (pictured) of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program, presented an overview of checkoff-funded promotion efforts worldwide to members of the Operating Committee — including 10 members each of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Federation of State Beef Councils. Among those promotions, funded in part by the beef checkoff, is the “Trust” campaign in Japan.

Since the devastating earthquake and tsunamis in Japan this month, USMEF has organized an multi-meat campaign as part of its promotion efforts in Japan, to help feed consumers in Japan who were injured, misplaced and left hungry and homeless by the devastation there.

The Pork Board has already contributed to the effort through its checkoff, and Beef Board Chairman Tom Jones, who also chairs the Operating Committee, and Federation Chairman David Dick brought a motion before the Operating Committee today to ask USMEF to present an amendment to their checkoff authorization for Fiscal Year 2011 to include a $100,000 contribution from the Beef Board’s program budget. Dick said the Federation would also contribute a matching $100,000 from its budget, for a total of $200,000 in checkoff support.

With unanimous committee support for that motion, USMEF will return as soon as possible with a proposed amendment for consideration regarding the CBB contribution. The funding for the CBB portion would come from funds released from Fiscal Year 2010 projects completed under budget.  USDA representative Craig Shackelford assured the measure would be in line with the Beef Act and Order, as long as it remained tied to the existing approved promotion program in Japan. For an update about repercussions of the situation in Japan, visit Devastation in Japan.

Meantime, the Operating Committee continues with reviews of Fiscal Year 2011 program, as well as discussion of funding priorities for Fiscal Year 2012, including a review of the priorities in the newly adopted Beef Industry Long Range Plan and reports from financial and evaluation program managers.

Talking Checkoff At Trade Shows

Beef Board member Woody Barth of North Dakota, left, and CBB Chairman Tom Jones of Arkansas, man the checkoff booth at the Farmers Union meeting in San Antonio on March 14, 2011.

We’re in the midst of a busy tradeshow season for the beef checkoff, which kicked off in January, when the Cattlemen’s Beef Board teamed with the Georgia Beef Board (GBB) to participate in the four-day American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) tradeshow in Atlanta. This year, the AFBF show was combined with the Ag Connect Expo – which drew more than 12,000 registrants from more than 60 countries, increasing AFBF booth traffic by about 5,000 people! At the checkoff booth, GBB Treasurer Gerald Long did an hour-long radio segment with Kyle Bauer of KFRM radio.

In February, the checkoff participated in the NCBA Trade Show at the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention, while March highlights include the National Farmers Union show in San Antonio, Texas, and the Dairy Farmers of America annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo.

Beef Board leadership, officers and staff participate in about 15 industry tradeshows throughout the year to help inform producers about how their checkoff dollars are invested and the results of those investments.