My Beef Checkoff: March News - Dairy Edition
03/10/2010 09:14AM
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Have You Herd…
… The dairy farm of 2010 dairy BQA award winner Phoebe Bitler is featured on educational videos.
… Interested in getting your Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA)? Send an e-mail to MBA@beef.org.
… Yellow Tail wine shows support of America’s farmers and ranchers.
… View Dairy Farming Today’s virtual dairy farm tour.
The “Red List”
Antibiotic use in farm animals is a hot topic that should be of concern to all of us in the livestock business. There is a rising level of scrutiny by government regulators, the media and the general public about the use of antibiotics and antimicrobials in animal agriculture. We can expect the intensity of the debate to increase during the months ahead.
There is a list called the FSIS Residue Violation Information System List that all of us in animal agriculture should all be aware of. The list which no responsible livestock producer should be on can be viewed here. The 110-page list includes almost 900 names of producers and dozens of business that have purchased their cattle. Not only does this list present a negative image for the cattle industry, it is a target for increased scrutiny from industry critics. We must eliminate antibiotic residues in food animals and make this list go away. This is an issue that must be taken seriously. The reputation of individual producers and the entire livestock industry is on the line.
*Article excerpts from Ron Eustice, Minnesota Beef Council executive director. Click here for the Minnesota Beef Council. Click here for an additional article from Dairy Herd Management about the FSIS “red list.”
National Promotional Calendar
The 2010 Retail Promotional Calendar is now available online! To date, there are 11 national promotions scheduled for the 2010 fiscal year to help promote beef in the retail channel. Many of these promotions feature coupons and rebates to encourage beef purchases. A few highlights include $10 and $15 rebates with Anheuser Busch during grilling season, and Sutter Home will be giving away $100,000 for the winning burger recipe this summer. To check out the dates of these promotions and to find out more details, visit BeefRetail.org.
Gearing Up For National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month and specifically, the 10th is Registered Dietitian Day. The beef checkoff continues to focus nutrition communications efforts around the following topic areas: The American Weight Crisis, Hot Topics in the Nutrition Environment, Professional Development, Food Production & Trends, Health Promotion through the Life Cycle, Nutrition and Disease Prevention and Management, The Power of Protein and Family-Focused Nutrition. Americans are loving lean beef.
Did you know that 15 of the top 20 most popular cuts of beef sold at retail meet government guidelines for lean, including top sirloin steak, strip steak and T-bone steak? So while you may not realize it, most of the beef you are choosing today IS lean. This month, visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com for fact sheets, protein research, recipes and ads.
Checkoff Is Also On The Watch!
On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) launched www.HumaneWatch.org, a new resource for keeping tabs on the nation’s largest and richest animal rights activist group – the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
HumaneWatch features a blog by CCF Director of Research David Martosko, a reference document library that includes 2008 HSUS tax returns, a listing of the numerous HSUS-affiliated organizations and background on the top HSUS employees. HumaneWatch also has a corresponding Facebook page that boasts a rapidly growing fan-base that currently totals 2,693.
CCF promises the HumaneWatch resources will shine a light on things like how HSUS really spends its money ($250,000 in annual salary to its president); who works for HSUS (it has more than 500 employees); and the true number of HSUS “supporters” (it’s not 11 million).
Many within the beef industry, including a handful of Beef Board members, have become fans of the Facebook page to “watch” and reference the data from the site when speaking with fellow producers and consumers about the animal rights movement.
Annual Beef Industry Safety Summit
Since 2003, one annual event has brought every segment of the beef industry together in one room to help bring better focus on beef safety. This year’s Beef Safety Summit, which is partially funded through the beef checkoff, was held March 3-5 in Dallas, Texas.
Checkoff dollars, which have been in shorter supply in recent years because of a shrinking cattle supply, are efficiently used through this safety summit and other beef safety efforts. For an update on this year’s Beef Industry Safety Summit, visit the Beef Industry Food Safety Council’s (BIFSCo) Web site at www.bifsco.org.
“I Heart Beef” Campaign Extension
Just because the month of February has come and gone, doesn’t mean consumers’ love affair with beef needs to end. The checkoff’s “I Heart Beef” campaign is a universal message that can be shared throughout the year. Whether it’s a Friday night date night, a tailgating weekend, or “just another Wednesday night,” consumers should be encouraged to reignite their passion for beef and share that message via social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, or by sending links to family and friends with their favorite beef recipes found on Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Farmers and ranchers are encouraged to keep the flame glowing. For more ideas on how to share the “I Heart Beef” message, contact your state beef council.
March Beef Promotions
This month, the beef checkoff is partnering with Heinz® Classico and New York Brand® Texas Toast for a Beef Bolognaise recipe promotion. Watch the papers on March 14 for a $1.50 off beef coupon with the purchase of two Classico pasta sauces. For more information about retail beef promotions, visit www.BeefRetail.org.
Bone-In Beef Returns To Taiwan
U.S. bone-in beef made a splashy return to Taiwan last week at a trade reception and products show for 80 guests representing importers, restaurateurs, retailers and the trade at the five-star Sherwood Taipei Hotel.
Funded by the Texas Beef Council, the beef checkoff and USDA Market Access Program (MAP) funds, the Feb. 25 event highlighted the versatility of U.S. beef, which was featured in Chinese-style dishes along with Thai-style chuck tender salad, braised chuck short ribs, baked garlic flavored bone-in short ribs and OP ribs.