New Beef Board Members Sworn In

USDA Ag Marketing Services representative Craig Shackelford swore in newly appointed and reappointed members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board on Thursday, during the CBB Update Session at the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention.

You can listen to the ceremony here: New Member Swearing In

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced 29 appointments to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board on Dec. 28, 2011, noting that the appointments “represent a cross section of the beef industry, and I am confident that beef producers and importers of cattle, beef and beef products will be well served by them.”

Congrats to the following new and reappointed members, who participate officially in their first business meeting of their new three-year terms tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012) at the convention in Nashville:

• Hughes Abell, Texas
• Thomas Alger, Texas
• Patrick Becker, S.D.
• Kim Brackett, Idaho
• Joyce Bupp, Pa.
• Andrew Burtt, importer
• Sarah Childs, Fla.
• Stephen Edwards, importer;
• Wesley Grau, N.M.
• Ted Greidanus, Southwest Region.
• Kim Holzner, importer
• Cristobal Hutton, importer
• Barbara Jacques, Okla.
• Leon Kreisler, Mo.
• Paul Looney, Jr., Texas
• Hank Maxey, Va.
• Stacy McClintock, Kan.;
• Linda Nielson, Mont.
• Perry Owens, Kan.
• Lyle Peterson, Mont.
• Sugie Sartwelle, Texas
• Gary Sharp, S.D.;
• Daniel Smith, Ky.
• Phyllis Snyder, Colo.
• Leo Sutterfield, Jr., Ark.
• Doug Temme, Neb.
• Sherry Vinton, Neb.
• Richard Winter, Texas
• Terry Wyatt, Okla.

Committee Reviews Checkoff Proposals for FY2012

With the end of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board’s fiscal year around the corner, the Beef Promotion Operating Committee will meet in Denver Sept. 19-20 to consider nearly 40 “Authorization Requests,” or proposals for checkoff funding in FY2012, which begins Oct. 1, 2011.

The Operating Committee comprises 10 members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and 10 reprsentatives of the Federation of State Beef Councils, and is charged with making final recommendations about what national checkoff programs to fund with the Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget.

Given ongoing budget constraints, the committee continues to contend with tough decisions about what programs use producers’ checkoff investments most effectively and efficiently to build consumer demand for beef.

For a copy of the agenda for the September meeting, or to view any of the Authorization Requests that will be considered, click on “Committees” on the upper left side of this page, and then on “Beef Promotion Operating Committee” — or go straight to the page through THIS LINK.

Working On Public Relations

Here’s a photo from the Join Veal Committee meeting which took place at the Cattle Industry Convention. I didn’t get to conduct an interview with anyone since they were still hard at it when I stopped by.

However, I did get to speak with Joyce Bupp, co-chair of the Joint Public Relations Subcommittee. Joyce says her committee takes a look at a lot of the media and outreach activities that are taking place throughout the organization. She says they had a very comprehensive look at the plans for the upcoming year. She says this is very important “. . . because if we don’t have consumer outreach and we don’t have consumer purchases we don’t have an industry.”

Here’s an excerpt from the report issued after the meeting:

The Subcommittee heard an update from Carol Abrahamzon of the American National Cattlewomen shared a report on the National Beef Ambassadors. The Metropolitan Cooking Show in DC with Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NBPI) reached more than 2,000 consumers with beef samples, recipes and brochures.

Sherry Hill of American National Cattlewomen provided an update on the National Beef Cook-Off (NBCO). A Raley’s promotion titled “Beef It Up” featured a sweepstakes contest over Labor Day. A Chef Challenge during the NBCO garnered six winning recipes featuring middle meats.

All committees of the Beef Board have their own web page and archived copies of agendas and minutes. You can find the Joint Public Relations Committee page here.

You can listen to and download (mp3) my interview with Joyce here:

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Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Saddle Up for San Antonio

Mark the dates on your calendar now and make plans to attend the 2010 Cattle Industry Annual Convention, January 27-30 in San Antonio, Texas.

Why should you attend? Here are just a few good reasons:

* You have a stake in the future of this industry.
* It is one of the best investments you can make in your operation!
* To have your voice heard in the decisions that will shape your industry.
* To discover new products and services at the NCBA Trade Show.
* Convention is the place to form new business relationships by providing the networking opportunities for fellow producers.
* To help establish checkoff and policy priorities for the coming year.
* Bring the entire family and take a well deserved break from the winter weather!

Keep an eye out for registration information coming soon and we’ll see YOU in San Antonio!

Time To Come Together, Work Together

Dear Fellow Beef Producers,  

It’s time to get fired up for the 2009 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, which is on tap for July 14-18 in beautiful Denver, Colorado! It means so much to the industry that so many of you volunteer your time to attend this midyear conference and continue identifying ways to improve the demand for beef. In this age of quick and constant change, it is so important that we meet like this twice a year to make sure we work together to focus our limited checkoff resources on those programs which address our goals and have the best chance for improving profitability for producers and importers of all types of beef – be it from dairy or beef animals, conventional, grass-fed, or natural.  

That’s where the beef checkoff comes in. Particularly in these times of economic challenge that we are all facing, I think we are fortunate to have a national self-help program that provides us with the resources we need to promote and improve our end product. That said, our checkoff budgetary challenges have been severe in recent years, with the recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2010 more than 22 percent below that of just three years ago.  

More now than ever, we will be asked to think about the effectiveness of programs in meeting our goals while we consider checkoff program proposals for FY2010 during summer conference. We’re clearly faced with making tough decisions about effective programs that we can no longer afford to fund.  

So as you attend your many meetings in Denver, or send comments from afar, ask the tough questions. Let’s make sure we are focusing our scarce resources on those programs that will make the most out of our checkoff dollars. Working together, we can continue to make the beef checkoff beneficial to the producers and importers who invest their hard-earned dollars in those programs. I am honored to be working with you all toward that end. 

Sincerely,

Lucinda Williams
2009 Chairman, Cattlemen’s Beef Board
Hatfield, Massachusetts

2009 Summer Conference Highlights

Organizations holding summer meetings during the conference include the CBB; the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); the American National CattleWomen (ANCW); Cattle-Fax; and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. General business kicks off with a Beef Industry General Session on Thursday, July 16, focused on current industry conditions and challenges. At the CBB Update Session that afternoon, CBB members will discuss current checkoff issues, including contracting budgets and updates on current USDA initiatives affecting the beef industry. 

Preceding committee and subcommittee meetings, General Session II on Friday morning, July 17, will set the stage for this important day. Checkoff leadership will present the challenges and opportunities facing the beef industry in the coming year to prepare committee members for their review of project proposals for Fiscal Year 2010, so it is an important session for all joint committee members to attend.  

By clicking on the “Committees” link at the top left of this meeting blog, you can access agendas for individual committee meetings — and then come back after the meetings for reports from them and, later, official minutes of the proceedings.

Checkoff Budget Recommendation

At the end of a long three days of planning meetings, the Beef Promotion Operating Committee on May 14 recommended a $41.5 million national beef checkoff budget for Fiscal Year 2010, and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board Executive Committee ratified the recommendation. The budget is based on a recommendation earlier in the day from the industry’s Joint Budget Committee, which based its recommendation on projected checkoff revenue for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, 2009. Pictures are Beef Board Chariman Lucinda Williams and Secretary/Treasurer Tom Jones.

The budget recommendation must be approved by the full Beef Board and USDA before it is official. The Board vote will take place at the 2009 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in July and, if approved, heads to USDA. At this point, the budget recommendation is broken down by components including promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, producer communications, evaluation, administration, USDA oversight, and program development. It does not, however, include specific program proposals for the year, as that will be determined based on proposals that national beef organizations will present to the Operating Committee in September.As recommended by the three committees this week, the bulk of the national beef checkoff budget for FY2010 - about $39.5 million – would be invested in checkoff programs, as follows:

• $18.1 million for promotion, including things such as advertising, foodservice, retail and veal promotion, and new-product development.
• $6.2 million for research programs, including beef safety, product enhancement, nutrition research, and market research.
• $4.7 million for consumer-information programs, which includes consumer public relations, youth education and information, and nutrition influencers outreach.
• $2.9 million for industry-information programs, including beef and veal quality assurance and issues management.
• $5.3 million for foreign marketing, including promotion programs across the globe.
• $1.8 million for producer communications, including trade advertising, media relations, and direct communications to producers about the results of their checkoff investments.

In addition to the program budget, additional costs include $220,000 for evaluation of checkoff programs; $130,000 for program development; $255,000 for USDA oversight; and $2 million for administration, which includes costs for all Board and committee meetings, as well as office rental, supplies and equipment, and salaries.

Operating, Executive Committees Meet March 18-19

The next meetings of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee and the CBB Executive Committee are slated for March 18-19 in Kansas City, Mo.

The Operating Committee convenes at 3 p.m. on Wed., March 18 with the introduction and seating of newly elected Operating Committee members, followed by the financial report and update on Evaluation Committee activities. The meeting continues on Thursday, March 19 with the presentation of extension requests (if any), presentation of Authorization Requests and Amendments (if any), a foreign-marketing update and a review of fiscal year 2010 planning priorities.

The Executive Committee meeting begins immediately upon conclusion of the Operating Committee meeting on Thursday, with an orientation for new Executive Committee members, followed by a financial report, Operating Committee Report and status of state marketing plans and audit reports. The meeting also includes a producer communications update.

All meetings of the Beef Board are open to the public.

Future meeting dates for the Operating Committee are May 14 and September 15-16, in Denver. The Executive Committee is slated to meet on May 15, July 15, and Sept. 16, all in Denver.

Dairy Farmer is New Chair of CBB

The new Chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board is Lucinda Williams and I think I was the first to conduct an interview with her. Here’s some background information so you can get to know her better.

Lucinda’s roots to the beef industry date back to life growing up as the daughter of a Colorado cowboy and rancher. Lucinda’s father raised cattle in Holly, Colo., and also grew sugar beets. Early in her parents’ marriage, they made the choice to put farming on hold for a while and go back to school. Her father got involved with the Extension Service and never did make it back to the land full time. Instead, he became a professor and worked for the extension service. They lived in Virginia until Lucinda was a teen, at which time they moved to Massachusetts and their current home of Hatfield. “Even though we didn’t live on a farm, we still had a 5-acre garden,” jokes Lucinda.

“The reality is, even though we live in a quiet, rural town,” continues Lucinda, “we farm on a residential street.”

You can listen to my interview with Lucinda here:

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You can also download the interview with this link: Lucinda Williams Interview (mp3)

Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

New Board Members Jump Right In

One of the new Beef Board members is Phyllis Snyder from Colorado. She was just sworn in and went to work immediately in committee meetings today.

I found her after the Producer Communications Committee adjourned this afternoon. She told me a little bit about her operation and why she got involved. She says she’s always been interested in ag promotion of all kinds and has been very involved in Colorado Farm Bureau which nominated her. Phyllis is serving on this committee because she knows that it’s the producers who have first responsibility for quality and communications is an important element of that.

You can listen to my interview with Phyllis here:

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You can also download the interview with this link: Phyllis Snyder Interview (mp3)

Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Presenting Dairy Cow Numbers

The annual Dairy Producer Forum was well attended this year at the Cattle Industry Convention.

Kevin Good, CattleFax, presented an economic report. In it he talks about the importance of dairy breeds to beef production and the size of herds and the trends for dairy cattle numbers including changes around the country on a regional basis.

He talks about how 2008 was another expansion year in the dairy business but that he doesn’t think the 5-year trend will continue. He also addresses the need to reduce dairy cow numbers.

You can listen to Kevin’s presentation here:

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You can also download the interview with this link: Kevin Good Presentation (mp3)

Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

Time To Roll Up Our Sleeves and Work Together

Dear Fellow Producers,

This has been a challenging year for the beef industry and our nation’s economy – even the global economy. It is in these difficult times that we are even more aware and grateful for the national self-help program provided by the beef checkoff. Through your checkoff dollars, we are able to perform the vital tasks of marketing, research and information that are even more essential in these challenging times.

As we gather in Phoenix for our 2009 Cattle Industry Convention, those of you who volunteer your service on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Federation of State Beef Councils will meet in program committees to learn about ongoing efforts and to begin setting priorities for next year. We already know that we are going to have another tight checkoff budget in the coming year, so it will be critical to focus on the most important priorities for our checkoff investments.

This is no small challenge, but this convention provides a format for face-to-face discussion and discernments as we work together for the best possible solutions to achieve our goal of increasing beef demand. We have many successes to celebrate and programs that have been very effective, but it is imperative that we continue to tighten our focus as we face difficult choices.

It is vitally important that as producers and checkoff committee members, we come prepared both to discuss the issues and, more important, listen to each other as we attempt to provide the best programs possible with our limited resources. Behind every obstacle is an opportunity waiting to be discovered. This convention provides precisely those opportunities, and we need to be intent on pursuing them.

I am deeply honored for having the privilege of serving as your chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board during this last year. I am proud of the accomplishments that have been attained and look forward to future accomplishments. Thank you for the privilege of serving this industry, and let us continue together to build a strong future for generations yet to come.

Below you will find a list of convention highlights for Beef Board members. Remember to check back on this blog later for details of the goings on during the convention.

Sincerely,

Dave Bateman
Chairman, Cattlemen’s Beef Board
Oregon, Illinois

CBB Annual Meeting

The business of the Beef Board has concluded with today’s annual meeting. This is the meeting that’s held jointly with the NCBA.

The Beef Board goes first and was started by now past Chairman Ken Stielow who we roasted last night.

I tried to record this morning’s session but for some reason the audio supplied to the press was not working properly but I do have a couple of interviews for you coming up in the next few posts.

Like with a lot of the activities of the Beef Board over the last few days you can find pictures in my online photo album.

Beef Board Blogging This Week

Hello from the Beef Board blogger. Once again this year I’ll be your blogger to bring you pictures, interviews and maybe even some video clips from the Cattle Industry Convention which is getting kicked off in Nashville. I’ll arrive late Tuesday so it may be Wednesday morning before we kick it into high gear right here.

In the meantime let your neighbors and friends know they can keep up with what’s happening at this year’s convention right here on Beef Board Meeting.

Looking forward to it.

Industry Convention Jan. 31-Feb 3, 2007

The 2007 Cattle Industry Convention is just around the corner, and all convention participants are welcome to attend CBB and joint industry committee meetings to observe and participate in the decision-making process for the beef checkoff. The 2007 convention is being held in Nashville, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.

If you can’t attend, tune in to this Beef Board Meeting Blog, where Chuck Zimmerman of ZimmComm New Media will serve as the Beef Board’s roving reporter to keep you informed about what’s going on in individual meetings. And each entry on this blog ends with a “Comment” section, where you can send messages or ask questions before, during or after a particular meeting.

Highlights for CBB members include the following:

• CBB Administration Subcommittee Meeting
• CBB Executive Committee Meeting
• CBB New Member Orientation
• CBB Update Session
• Joint CBB and Federation of State Beef Councils Session
• Dairy Producer Communications Forum
• Joint Industry Committee/Subcommittee meetings
• CBB Meeting

Keep in mind that the convention includes meetings of various groups beyond the Beef Board — including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the American National CattleWomen, the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, and Cattle-Fax. Below is a basic schedule of the overall convention:

Monday, January 29

6:00 pm – 8:30 pm      Pre-Convention Agricultural Tour

Tuesday, January 30

12:00 pm – 6:00 pm     Registration

10:00 am – 6:00 pm     Exhibitor Registration

6:30 am – 5:30 pm       Pre-Convention Agricultural Tour

7:00 am- 10:00 pm      Exhibitor Heavy Equipment Move-In

                                   ANCW Meetings

10:00 am – 10:00 pm   Exhibitor Move-In

Wednesday, January 31

6:30 am – 6:00 pm       Registration

7:00 am – 1:00 pm       Exhibitor Move-In

7:00 am – 3:15 pm       Cattlemen’s College Programs/Lunch

7:30 am – 12:00 pm     NCBA Executive Committee Meeting

                                   ANCW Meetings

9:00 am – 11:30 am    CBB Executive Committee Meeting

12:00 pm – 2:45 pm    CBB New Appointees Orientation

3:00 pm – 3:45 pm      First Timer Orientation

4:00 pm – 5:45 pm     Opening General Session

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm     NCBA Trade Show Opens/Welcome

                                  Reception (Exclusive)

Thursday, February 1

6:30 am – 5:30 pm      Registration

                                  ANCW Meetings & Reception

7:30 am – 9:15 am     Cattle-Fax Outlook Seminar

9:00 am – 6:00 pm     NCBA Trade Show Open (exclusive

                                  hours 12:45 pm – 2:45 pm)

9:30 am – 12:45 pm   Beef Industry Issues Forums

10:00 am – 3:00 pm   Cattle-Fax Board of Directors

                                  Lunch/Meeting

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm     NCBA Officers Forum

2:45 pm – 4:45 pm     CBB Update Session

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm     NCBA Regional Caucus Meetings

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm     NCBA Veal Council Meeting

Friday, February 2

7:00 am – 5:30 pm      Registration

7:30 am – 6:00 pm      Joint Subcommittee & Committee

                                  Meetings and NCBA Policy

                                  Subcommittee & Committee Meetings

9:45 am – 11:15 am    General Session II

10:00 am – 4:00 pm    NCBA Trade Show Open

6:30 pm – 9:00 pm      CBB Reception & Dinner

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm    Cattle-Fax Board of Directors

                                   Reception/Dinner

7:00 pm – 11:00 pm    NCBA-PAC/PEF Night at the Wildhorse

                                  Saloon/NCBA-PAC VIP Reception

Saturday, February 3

7:00 am – 1:30 pm       Registration

7:30 am – 12:00 pm     CBB Meeting and NCBA Board of

                                   Directors Meeting

9:00 am – 2:00 pm      NCBA Trade Show Open

2:00 pm – 10:00 pm    Exhibitor Move-Out

6:30 pm – 11:00 pm    Grand Finale Evening Event

Operating, Executive Meetings Scheduled

The Beef Checkoff Program will be the subject of a number of meetings during the next several months, as producers serving on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Federation of State Beef Councils look to recommend programs for funding in Fiscal 2007. Following is a list of those upcoming meetings, followed by agendas for the June 7-8 meetings of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board Executive Committee, for which we’ll provide reports of action on this site upon their conclusions.

 June 7-8: Beef Promotion Operating Committee – Amarillo, Texas

June 8: CBB Executive Committee – Amarillo, Texas

July 10-13: 2006 Cattle Industry Summer Conference – Reno, Nevada

July 10: CBB Administration Subcommittee meeting

July 10: CBB Executive Committee meeting

July 10: Joint Evaluation Committee meeting

July 12: Joint program committee meetings

July 13: Cattlemen’s Beef Board summer meeting September 13-14: Beef Promotion Operating  Committee meeting – Denver, Colorado

September 14: CBB Executive Committee meeting – Denver, Colorado

TENTATIVE AGENDA BEEF PROMOTION OPERATING COMMITTEE AMARILLO, TEXAS

JUNE 7-8, 2006

1. Call to Order – Chairman Jay O’Brien
2. Establish a Quorum 3. Approve Agenda
4. Approve Minutes of March 15-16, 2006 Meeting
5. Financial Report – Treasurer Dave Bateman
6. Evaluation Update • Demand Index • Evaluation Audit Update • 2007 Strategic Evaluation Plan and Budget
7. Trade with Japan – Chris Trumble & Stan Miller of Cargill June 8 7:00 a.m. Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Reconvene
8. Presentation of FY 2007 AR Format
9. Presentation of Extension Requests (If any)
10. Presentation of Authorization Request Amendments (If any)
11. FY 2007 Program Plans
12. FY 2007 Budget Recommendation
13. Action on Extension Requests (If any)
14. Action on Authorization Request Amendments (If any)
15. Action on FY 2007 Evaluation Plan and Budget
16. Action on FY 2007 AR Format
17. Action on FY 2007 Budget Recommendation
18. Progress Reports
19. Other Business – Next Meeting – September 13-14, 2006 – Denver
20. Adjourn

TENTATIVE AGENDA CBB EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING Amarillo, Texas June 8, 2006

1. Call to Order and Introduction of Guests – Chairman Ken Stielow
2. Establish a Quorum
3. Approve Ageenda
4. Approve Minutes of March 16, 2006 Meeting
5. Financial Report – Dave Bateman, Treasurer FY 2007 Budget Recommendation
6. Operating Committee Report – Jay O’Brien, Chairman
7. Executive Committee Subcommittee Report Administration Subcommittee
8. Status of State Marketing Plans
9. Status of State Audit Reports
10. Brand or Trade Name References National Partnerships State Partnerships
11. Litigation Update
12. Other Business Future Dates and Locations for both Operating and Executive Committee Meetings July 10, 2006 – Reno, Nevada (Summer conference) September 13-14, 2006 – Denver, Colorado December – date and location to be determined, if needed
13. Executive Session
14. Adjourn

New Board Members Sworn In Today

Thanks to Diane Henderson on the CBB staff I’ve got this orientation report for you:

Feb. 1, 2006 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture administered the oath of office to new members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board during a special orientation session provided for them during the Cattle Industry Convention here today.The 20 new members appointed to the Board by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture last fall officially take their seats as voting members of the Board at its meeting on Saturday.In addition to the swearing in today, new Beef Board members heard from USDA, Beef Board staff, CBB legal counsel and current CBB officers Al Svajgr, Jay O’Brien and Ken Stielow about the responsibilities they have as Beef Board members and stewards of the beef checkoff, including Board structure and procedures.

New Board members who take their seats on Saturday include: Tom Jones, Arkansas; Ross Jenkins, California; Roger West, Florida; Tim. Shaw, Idaho; Terry Handke and Daniel Kerschen, Kansas; Charles Bassett, Missouri; Jim Eschliman and Lindy Whipps, Nebraska; Margie Hande, North Dakota; Bob Drake and Andrea Hutchinson, Oklahoma; Robert Bruner, Dan Dierschke, Bryant Fisher and Daryl Owen, Texas; and Bill Oliver, Virginia; Ron Allen, John O’Carroll, and David Palmer, importers.

New Press Releases Will Be Posted On The Press Releases Page

Press Releases are being posted on this site as soon as we have them available.  You’ll be able to see them on the Press Releases page we’ve created.  Here’s the latest one: 

Beef Demand Dips Slightly In 2005

DENVER  (Feb. 1, 2006) – Consumer demand for beef dipped slightly in 2005 but the Beef Demand Index remains up more than 20 percent since reversing its 20-year decline in 1998, Cattlemen’s Beef Board Chairman Al Svajgr announced at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention here today.

“We had such a stellar growth year for demand in 2004 that we didn’t top that mark in 2005 even though we continued to enjoy terrific strength in the market, including strong prices for cattle throughout the year,” said Svajgr, a cattleman from Cozad, Neb. The index decreased 3.6 percent in 2005 compared to that record growth in 2004, according to preliminary year-end results.

The Beef Demand Index is calculated based on a series of formulas developed by Dr. Wayne Purcell, director of the Research Institute on Livestock Pricing through Virginia Tech University’s department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. The Index now is monitored by Dr. James Mintert, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University. The index reflects several specific factors, including per capita consumption and consumer retail spending for beef, but does not take wholesale beef prices into account.

To read the rest of the release visit the Press Releases Page.

Welcome from CBB Chairman Al Svajgr

2006 Cattle Industry Convention
Denver, CO
Feb 1 – Feb. 4, 2006

We certainly enjoyed another good year in the beef industry, with strong cattle prices throughout 2005 and consumer confidence in the safety of our product remaining extremely high. And while the sustained price strength has been a welcomed opportunity for producers who have seen some rough times over recent decades, we must not rest on our laurels because a strong beef industry does not happen without continuous effort on our part.

The Beef Checkoff Program enjoyed continued success during the year as well, led by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the checkoff is, in fact, constitutional. With that ruling in place and the ensuing dismissal of the similar Charter case in Montana, we have the opportunity to renew our focus on building demand for beef and, as a result, continue to create opportunities for improved profitability for producers.

During meetings through the summer and fall of 2005, producers who sit on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, state beef councils, and joint advisory committees for the checkoff helped set priorities for the current fiscal year and reviewed project proposals from numerous beef industry organizations to achieve those priorities.  In September, the Beef Promotion Operating Committee and USDA approved the final slate of promotion, research and information projects for checkoff funding in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2005.

At the 2006 Cattle Industry Convention in Denver – where we’ll kick off another year-long planning process  for the Beef Checkoff Program – we have the opportunity to celebrate our successes and work on solutions to our challenges. With the Supreme Court’s decision in place, let’s make a concerted effort to cooperate – to work together to identify the priorities for investment of our $1-per-head checkoff.

Part of our joint efforts at this convention will include producer review of a newly recommended Beef Industry Long Range Plan to identify our direction and goals for the next five years. It’s important that all producers get involved in reviewing and setting these long-term goals, so I encourage you to share your thoughts and be part of the process. With that in mind, I look forward to working with you at this convention toward building a strong future for ourselves and for future generations.

Sincerely,

Al Svajgr
Chairman, Cattlemen’s Beef Board
Cozad, Nebraska

Welcome To BeefBoardMeeting.com

Hello and welcome to BeefBoardMeeting.com.  This website will provide you with news, announcements and other information from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board meeting in Denver in just a few short weeks.