Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays is back talking with the Chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and Oklahoma Rancher, Jimmy Taylor. Hays and Taylor talk about the plan of work for the projects that will be part of the 2024 fiscal year for the beef checkoff.
A total of 12 authorization requests have been approved by the Beef Operating Committee made up of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Federation of State Beef Councils. Those 12 requests have now been approved by the executive committee of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, and the USDA.
Thirty-eight million dollars will be spent starting October 1, by the dollar head beef checkoff- including authorizations put together by the following:
- American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture – $800,000
- Cattlemen’s Beef Board – $1,800,000
- Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education – $500,000
- Meat Import Council of America / Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative – $900,000
- National Cattlemen’s Beef Association – $25,405,000
- National Institute for Animal Agriculture – $60,000
- North American Meat Institute – $330,000
- United States Meat Export Federation – $8,150,000
Taylor said he feels good about what is planned for the fiscal year of 2024.
“Everyone had their own ideas of how the money would be best spent, but we bring each project up individually and have a debate on them, and had motions, and so the thoughts of the group carry the day,” Taylor said.
Each project that passes, Taylor said, must have a two-thirds majority vote. As there are 20 members voting, Taylor added that each project that was funded was required to have 14 votes.
“October 1 is the start of our fiscal year for 2024, and those projects will start at that time,” Taylor said.
Broken out by budget component – as outlined by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 – the FY24 Plan of Work for the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board budget includes:
- $9,275,000 for promotion programs, including beef and veal campaigns focusing on beef’s nutritional value, eating experience, convenience, and production.
- $8,300,000 for research programs focusing on pre- and post-harvest beef safety, scientific affairs, nutrition, sustainability, product quality, culinary technical expertise, and consumer perceptions.
- $7,600,550 for consumer information programs, including Northeast influencer outreach and public relations initiatives; national consumer public relations, including nutrition-influencer relations and work with primary- and secondary-school curriculum directors nationwide to get accurate information about the beef industry into classrooms of today’s youth. Additional initiatives include outreach and engagement with food, culinary, nutrition and health thought leaders; media and public relations efforts; and supply chain engagement.
- $2,819,450 for industry information programs, including dissemination of accurate information about the beef industry to counter misinformation from other groups, as well as funding for Checkoff participation in the annual national industrywide symposium about antibiotic use. Additional efforts in this program area include beef advocacy training and issues/crisis management and response.
- $8,150,000 for foreign marketing and education, focusing on 13 regions, representing more than 90 countries around the world.
- $1,800,000 for producer communications, which includes investor outreach using national communications and direct communications to producers and importers about Checkoff results. Elements of this program include ongoing producer listening and analysis; industry collaboration and outreach; and continued development of a publishing strategy and platform and a state beef council content hub.
The full fiscal 2024 Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget is approximately $42 million. Separate from the Authorization Requests, other expenses funded include $270,000 for program evaluation; $640,500 for program development; $200,000 for Checkoff education resources; $550,000 for USDA oversight; $205,000 for state services; $270,000 supporting services and litigation; and $2.0 million for CBB administration. The fiscal 2024 program budget represents a decrease of slightly less than 1.6% percent, or $605,000, from the $38.6 million FY23 budget.
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 at the top of the story for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
