Cattlemen Investing $41 Million into Promotion and Research

(CENTENNIAL, CO) The Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) will invest almost $41 million into promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications during fiscal 2020, subject to USDA approval. The Beef Promotion Operating Committee (BPOC) approved checkoff funding for a total of 15 “Authorization Requests” – or grant proposals – from seven contractors beginning this week. The committee includes ten producers from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and ten producers from the Federation of State Beef Councils. The BPOC approved seven requests for funding with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association receiving $27 million, and the U.S. Meat Export Federation accepting $8 million. Other approved contractors include the North American Meat Institute ($1.9 million), the Cattlemen’s Beef Board ($1.6 million), the American Farm Bureau Foundation (almost $700 thousand), the Meat Import Council of America (just under $500 thousand), the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association ($359 thousand), and the National Livestock Producers Association (almost $100 thousand). Broken out by segments, 25 percent will be invested for promotion programs, 23 percent for research programs, 21 percent for foreign marketing and education, 18 percent towards consumer information programs, eight percent earmarked for industry information programs, and five percent toward producer communications. The Beef Checkoff was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill and assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 percent of the collection while forwarding the remaining 50 cents to the national checkoff program.