In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Dr. Cheryl DeVuyst, chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion Board (CBB), about how cattle producers are overseeing investments of Beef Checkoff dollars during the Summer Cattle Industry Business Meeting in Denver.
DeVuyst said the week began with training for the newest members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board before committee meetings got underway to review funding proposals for the coming fiscal year. “We did have our brand new board members come into Summer Business Meeting a couple days early so we could get them trained,” DeVuyst said. “We met with 27 brand new board members to get them trained for the work that they will be doing.”
Those new members quickly went to work alongside Federation of State Beef Councils representatives, evaluating proposals submitted by Beef Checkoff contractors. “It’s our boots-on-the-ground members who are producers, just like so many of our listeners out there, who want to make sure that their dollars are used in ways to increase beef demand,” she said.
DeVuyst emphasized that producer oversight has always been central to the Beef Checkoff. “The Cattlemen’s Beef Board is a 99-member board, and they are primarily producers—92 producers and seven importers from across the country—who really are the investors into the Beef Checkoff,” she said. “We have a fiduciary responsibility on those checkoff funds to make sure that they are invested into projects that really will work toward increasing beef demand.”
How the Funding Process Works
After committee members review and rank project proposals, those recommendations move to the Beef Promotion Operating Committee in September before advancing through the Executive Committee, the full Beef Board and ultimately USDA for approval.
DeVuyst noted that one common misconception is how contractors receive funding. “I do want to remind everyone that this is a cost recovery process,” she said. “Those contractors, if they are approved for funding, do have to do all of the projects first, and then they turn in their invoices showing this is what we did that meets the objectives of the proposals that we put forward. Then they are reimbursed.”
She added that no contractor simply receives a check upfront. “The work happens. We go through and audit and evaluate that what they did actually met the objectives of what they said they were going to do, and then that money is reimbursed to them. So that’s how the whole process works.”
Building Beef Demand at Home and Abroad
DeVuyst said ongoing Beef Checkoff investments continue to strengthen consumer demand through domestic promotion, research and international marketing efforts. “Our consumers continue to tell us through the Meat Demand Monitor that they are still choosing beef because it’s a tasty protein source, and they prefer it over other protein sources,” she said.
She also highlighted the value of export programs conducted through the U.S. Meat Export Federation. “They are doing great work in countries throughout the world to export those variety meats and underutilized cuts that we in the United States don’t really prefer,” DeVuyst said. “They are selling it for a premium in other countries. That really increases the bottom line of our producers because it is adding to the value of every animal that is produced in the U.S.”
Giving Back to the Industry
Now serving her second term on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion Board and currently chairing the organization, DeVuyst said her commitment comes from a lifetime in agriculture and a desire to help ensure a strong future for cattle producers. “The beef industry has been important to our family,” she said. “I grew up on a dairy farm, and dairy producers pay into the Beef Checkoff. At Oklahoma State, I work with young people who want to be involved in the cattle industry, and we need to keep this industry strong.”
She said maintaining consumer demand is essential for the future of the industry. “If we do not have consumers demanding our product, then there is no need for our product. Really being able to give back to this industry is important to me, and I don’t think you can find better people than cattle producers across this country.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
Our coverage of the 2026 Summer Cattle Industry Business Meeting from Denver is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater, Oklahoma.
