Cattlemen’s Beef Board releases 2024 Impact Report
At the beginning of March, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and Beef Checkoff released the 2024 Impact Report, which breaks down how Beef Checkoff funds are spent on promotion, research, foreign marketing and communication efforts.
Additionally, for the first time, this year’s report includes CBB’s financial statement and evaluations of the Beef Checkoff program.
“Over the past few years, we’ve continued to face diminishing checkoff dollars, the spread of misinformation from opposing groups and increasing competition in the protein marketplace,” says Andy Bishop, 2024 CBB chair. “This new impact report is designed to better demonstrate how, even in the face of those challenges, the Beef Checkoff continues to promote beef to consumers, conduct essential research and educate the public about beef’s incredible benefits and value.”
Promotion
The report begins by highlighting CBB’s promotional efforts, which utilized over $8.9 million for two authorization requests (AR).
Contracted by the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and subcontracted by the New York Beef Council, $271,849 of the $275,000 awarded funds were spent on veal promotion to increase “consumer consideration of veal by promoting discovery, access and confidence in veal as a protein choice.”
The report highlights social media engagement, virtual farm tours for secondary school classrooms and an e-commerce campaign which boosted veal awareness and sales through strategic banner ads and product placement.
“One campaign in particular had a lasting impact – within two weeks, veal gained 10.2 percent more total customers and attracted 52.3 percent new shoppers,” the report says.
An additional $8.6-plus million was spent on the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.” promotion contracted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
These dollars went toward five live social media cook-along events; placing ads across major sports networks such as ESPN, NBC Sunday Night Football, Peacock and the NFL Network and the launch of the Chef’s Night In program, which brings audiences inside of chefs’ homes as they prepare and enjoy their favorite beef dishes.
Research
Two ARs for research purposes were awarded a total $8.3 million.
The Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education spent $165,405 to present post-harvest beef safety research during the Meat Industry Food Safety Conference and Beef Industry Food Safety Council’s Safety Summit.
Research focused on salmonella implications, detection and testing accuracy and genetic relatedness.
In an effort to improve the safety profile of beef products, CBB is currently engaged in research projects to compile comprehensive salmonella baseline information and analyze outbreaks using single nucleotide polymorphism tests to enhance outbreak traceback reliability.
Additionally, the report notes quarterly cross-species research meetings resumed in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 to foster collaboration among meat industry groups like the Beef Checkoff, Pork Checkoff and U.S. Poultry and Egg Association.
More than $4.9 million in funds were also spent on pre-harvest safety research, including hosting an immersive two-day ranch tour to provide firsthand insight into sustainable beef production and broadening the reach of a consumer market research program, which was contracted by NCBA.
Consumer and industry information
Home to nearly 74 million consumers, including major cities like New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the Northeast Nutrition and Health Expert, Consumer and Athletic Program Outreach and Engagement initiative used $892,864 for beef promotion through media, educational webinars, conferences and athletics in the area.
Another $799,704 was spent on sharing beef-based curriculum resources and on-farm science, technology, engineering and math development events, lesson activities and online learning tools with educators in the nation’s largest school districts.
The third consumer information AR utilized over $5.5 million to leverage strategic tactics to provide expertise to Beef Checkoff initiatives, state partners and key global industry influencers in an effort to position beef as a leading choice of protein among consumers.
These funds were spent on hosting the Girls Who Grill Influencer Event and a science dialogue event on improving adolescent health through nutrition, the launch of the Beef Media Expert Program and to promote beef as part of a healthy diet during American Heart Month through the Lean Beef E-Commerce Campaign.
Another three ARs focused on industry information, receiving a total $2.8 million in checkoff funds.
NAMI contracted two projects for $54,793 regarding veal quality assurance (VQA), including hosting the Veal Summit in April and conducting a technical review to update the VQA Certification Manual.
The National Institute for Animal Agriculture was awarded $60,000 for the 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium and for its continued partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while another $2.7 million was awarded to NCBA for issues and crisis management, beef quality assurance (BQA) and beef advocacy training and engagement.
These funds were used toward an Issues and Crisis Management and Planning program for the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, the Prime Partners Advocacy Summit and continued work on the BQA program.
Foreign marketing
Checkoff-generated funds totaling $8.15 million were awarded to foreign marketing efforts, contracted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and focused on international market development and access.
In South America, a collaboration with a Peruvian chef led to the creation of the “Power Burger,” a high-protein, iron-rich blend of beef liver and pork, while Costcos across South Korea began offering boiled U.S. beef tendon.
“The product was promoted with 14 days of tasting demonstrations in June and July, selling nearly 4,000 units and moving 11,000 pounds – approximately $70,000 – of U.S. beef tendons,” reads the report.
USMEF boosted U.S. beef promotion in major retailers across China, Indonesia and Vietnam and expanded foodservice through support and training in Europe, Japan and Mexico.
The report highlights Meat on Wheels showcased U.S. beef cuts across Mexican cities and venues such as vineyards, hotels, restaurants and haciendas.
It notes, “This mobile workshop visited five states known for vibrant tourism and culinary scenes, featuring sirloin, tenderloin, prime rib, brisket, ground beef and ribs. The program accelerated U.S. beef adoption in Mexico’s foodservice sector, building a strong network of chefs, hotels and restaurants, converting many establishments to U.S. beef.”
Producer communications
A little over $1.77 million of the $1.8 million awarded for producer communications was spent to enhance the understanding of national Beef Checkoff-funded initiatives.
Over FY24, CBB expanded its presence by guest starring on several industry-related podcasts such as Farm to Table Talk and Agri Talk, while also boosting its social media presence by launching an Instagram to reach a younger audience.
Additionally, the checkoff’s newsletter The Drive won two national awards – the Best of National Agri-Marketing Association Award for Best Ag Industry Newsletter and the Merit Award from the Agricultural Relations Council – as well as top honors for Best Digital Publication from the Livestock Publications Council.
“I hope everyone who wants to know more about the Beef Checkoff will take a few minutes to explore the 2024 Impact Report,” states CBB Chief Executive Officer Greg Hanes. “This report provides a true snapshot of the incredible work checkoff contractors have done over the past year, while also sharing insights which will shape our efforts in 2025 and beyond.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
