06/09/05 USA raised beef

USA-RAISED BEEF While most of the cattle and beef industry waited for the Supreme Court decision on the legality of the National Beef Checkoff, some groups didn't wait. I'm Jeff Keane. I'll tell you about what those groups did in one minute. The Cattlemen's Competitive Market Project (CCMP) backed by stakeholder groups from South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Washington plus the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) and R-CALF USA introduced a new marketing campaign highlighting American beef. CCMP is a voluntarily funded producer self-help program established to enhance demand and educate consumers about the nutritional values of USA raised beef. While mandatory Country of Origin labeling is forever bogged down in politics and the National Beef Check Off promotes domestic and foreign beef, CCMP will only promote beef born, raised and processed in the U.S. This new program hopes to expand on the good relationship cattlemen have with consumers. Rick Fox, vice president of the stakeholders group, South Dakota Stockgrower's Association, states "American's cattlemen work hard to produce the safest meat in the world under the most rigorous standards on the face of the globe. We're proud of what we produce and we want it labeled. It is our goal to reach every consumer in every corner of America encouraging them to demand U.S. born and raised beef." CCMP's new trademarked logo with an American flag in the background has the slogan "Not Just Any Beef. USA RAISED BEEF. Ask For It." Hey that has a nice ring to it. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Reporter 5/4/05