ISSUES POLICY Invest in Your Business by Supporting Checkoff By Linda Joy Stovall, TSCRA director
A
NY GOOD BUSINESS MUST HAVE A SOLID MARKETING PLAN to stay successful. A cattle operation may look different than a traditional business on the out-
side, but we still need a great marketing plan that will drive consumers to buy our products. This is where the beef checkoff steps in. As you well know, Congress created the Beef Promo-
tion and Research Act, the beef checkoff program, in the 1985 Farm Bill. Beef producers then voted to make the checkoff mandatory in 1988. The rules were, and still are, fairly simple. All producers and importers pay $1 per head each
time a beef animal is sold throughout its lifetime. Half of that money is invested into the national checkoff program and the other half is invested by each state beef council. The beauty of a producer-driven checkoff is that it
allows us to collectively market and advertise beef to consumers at home and around the globe, something we couldn’t do as individuals. I’m sure you notice that $1 coming out of your sale
barn ticket, but what you might not know is what you get in return for that dollar. A 2009 University of Florida study showed that for every dollar invested by producers into the beef checkoff, the industry receives a $5.55 return. This return is the result of your checkoff dollars
104 The Cattleman March 2014
working to increase beef demand, which increases your profi tability. For example, the checkoff works to fund programs
that address safety and quality issues, advertise beef to consumers, strengthen consumer confi dence in beef as a wholesome and safe choice, introduce new beef cuts into the marketplace — like the Flat Iron — and promote U.S. beef in other countries. Checkoff dollars used to support beef marketing in other countries alone have added about $170 of value to a 550-pound animal. That’s money in your pocket. That’s added value that wouldn’t exist without the checkoff. New product development programs funded by check-
off dollars also have directly impacted your bottom line. Three new value-added cuts, the Flat Iron, the Petite Tender and the Ranch Steak, are estimated to have added between $50 and $70 of value per head. This is tangible value that wouldn’t exist without the checkoff. So you see, the dollar that appears on your sale bill
isn’t just a dollar. It’s not a fee or a tax. It’s a dollar you’re putting back into your business, and we know that no business survives without investment, research and promotion. That dollar is your part of your check- off. It’s up to each of us to continue investing in our business. If we want to ensure that beef stays on the dinner plate we must support the checkoff and continue investing in our future.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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