My Beef Checkoff - April beef edition

Have You Herd…

… “Like” MyBeefCheckoff on Facebook for the latest news and updates.

… A new checkoff-funded research white paper explains the relationship between carcass maturity and beef tenderness.

… The March 2012 beef industry Online Research Roundup - Trends & Issues Scan provides an overview of the current beef marketing and production environment.

Snacking Frequency on the Rise

Almost half of consumers are snacking at least twice a day, up from 25 percent in 2010, according to market researcher Technomic.

Technomic said restaurants are capitalizing on this trend by providing quick, portable, smaller-portioned, low-priced foods in various ways. Restaurants now represent 22 percent of consumer snacking occasions, up from 17 percent in 2010.

In addition, 37 percent of consumers have broadened their definition of snacks to include more types of foods, beverages and restaurant fare, and mini sandwiches, sliders and wraps have evolved from a snack to a downsized gourmet version of a full-sized offering.

Heart-Check Impacting Shoppers' Decisions

A new in-market study examined the impact of merchandising beef with the American Heart Association Heart-Check mark. The study found that merchandising with the Heart-Check mark dramatically increased shoppers' purchase interest and retailer loyalty. Read the executive summary to learn how beef cuts can boost beef sales and reshape consumer perceptions about beef as an everyday food.

Cattle Handling Tips for Cow/Calf Producers

A new video from the Beef Quality Assurance program titled "BQA Cattle Handling Tips for Cow/Calf Producers" is now available at bqa.org as well as on YouTube. The video was created to demonstrate how to handle different types of cattle (bulls, cows, heifers, calves, and pairs) on cow/calf, stocker, and seedstock operations. Experts Dr. Ron Gill, Curt Pate, Dr. John Maas, and others take producers through different production settings and the changing cycle of a cattle operation to understand how the handler and the cattle react to these differing situations.

April Producer Profile: Jackie Means, Texas

The Means family first ventured into Southwestern Texas with a small herd of cattle in the early 1880s. They were greeted by a tribe of Comanches who offered an interesting trade – they would spare their lives if the Means would hand over their cattle.

“Easiest decision I ever made,” said great-grandfather Means, who handed over the herd as requested and immediately went back to get some more animals.

1. Representative Lucas discusses new Farm Bill
2. U.S. May consumer sentiment highest in nearly 6 years
3. Cattle producers turn to MSU for reproduction class
4. NCBA Op-Ed: EPA’s data sharing incident a debacle
5. Cow-calf corner: Review calving season and make improvements
6. Feeder cattle review: Feed report neutral to slightly bearish

1. New school lunch beef recipes win approval from kids, foodservice
2. Drier weather to give big boost to U.S. corn plantings
3. Prices for corn and soybeans, five years from now
4. Agriculture is expected to remain strong in the coming decade
5. What sick day? Farmers take just three a year
6. Senate Agriculture Committee completes Farm Bill markup

1. Insects. They’re what’s for dinner!
2. World food supply depends on character, virtuous leadership
3. Commentary: Slanting the statistics
4. Tyson selects panel to monitor animal welfare program
5. Cold spring stunts upper Midwest hay crop
6. Buffet concerned about soil and starvation