02/05/08 Evaluating beef checkoff dollars

Accountability to producers for the use of their checkoff funds is a primary responsibility of the Cattlemen's Beef Board. CBB Director of Evaluation Rich Otley says annual evaluations provide a measurement of past programs that are helpful in successfully planning for the year ahead. OTLEY "In one word accountability is what it's all about. This program lets producers know what their money was spent for and whether or not it worked." Otley says the evaluations are used to help plan and develop priorities that will lead to an increase in beef demand and ultimately to higher profits for beef producers. OTLEY "We can look in areas such as education, recipe development through such things as the National Beef Cook-off." Otley says three to four outside audits take a look at specific checkoff related programs, some of which has stood out in the past five or six years. OTLEY "Without question the issues management program relative to the BSE situation in 2003 and 2004 saved the industry untold amounts of dollars as a result of being ready for a situation that could have been exceeding negative for our industry." And he also cites the Value Cuts program which started out as a scientific project and ended up as an important part of the marketing campaign. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott