10/24/06 National Beef Checkoff turns 20

American Rancher October 24, 2006 The National Beef Checkoff is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill, checkoff assessments began on October 1st of 1986. The Cattlemen's Beef Board was created to administer the checkoff and its first chairman was Jo Ann Smith, a Florida cattlewoman. Smith says the beef checkoff has earned a passing grade in her book. Smith: "I think I would have to give it very high marks. Obviously we are experiencing currently a very, very strong demand factor. We have increased demand for the product 25%. Now, we know that the checkoff program is not the only thing but certainly that education to the consumer has played a big role in helping them understand we can eat beef." Smith says one of their strongest and earliest goals was to get the beef message to consumers, continually and that meant advertising. Smith: "And if you don't care enough about your product to say the good things about it then no one else is going to. So what it has done, it has provided that vehicle to the consumer to be able to compete against the other protein products, whatever they might be, and say, hey, beef goes into the healthy diet. Fit in. And here's why." Cattle-Fax estimates the increase in beef demand since the checkoff has added 250 dollars per head to fed cattle, 200 dollars per head to calves. I'm Bob Hoff.