The Importance of the Beef Checkoff

Welcome to Open Range, I’m KayDee Gilkey. Stay tuned because after the break I’ll check in with our field reporter, Greg Martin for the AgriBeef Minute.

Thanks KayDee. We’ve all heard of the Beef Checkoff but what is it really and why is it so important. Kim Brackett, Beef Matters blogger talks about the checkoff.

BRACKETT: In the 1985 Farm Bill they included the Beef Act and the Beef Marketing Act and what that required was every time one cow was sold there’s one dollar collected and that one dollar collected 50-cents goes to your state, 50-cents goes national and all of those dollars combined are allocated to spend on beef promotion and beef education throughout our country.

The Beef Checkoff funds things like the very popular “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner” ad campaign. Brackett feels the checkoff is important to the entire cattle industry.

BRACKETT: I think it’s a great thing. Once you realize how far those checkoff dollars stretch and over how many program areas - and let me tell you one area I missed is foreign marketing. One area that checkoff dollars really make a difference is getting our product marketed in Japan for example right now and into those other markets around the world. And I think that’s one of the areas producers aren’t aware of as much so I think making producers more aware of the value of our foreign markets is one of the best bangs of our checkoff dollar.

I’m Greg Martin and that’s today’s AgriBeef Minute.

Thanks Greg. Don’t forget Greg will be back each Wednesday with the AgriBeef Minute. Agri Beef Co - Real Families, Great People, Exceptional Beef. I’m KayDee Gilkey.