Your State Checkoff: Beef production boot camp, ASEAN export efforts and Boosting US beef sales in Korea

Source: Texas Beef Council
The Texas Beef Council and Texas Beef Checkoff have been hard at work increasing beef demand at home and abroad, sharing the benefits of beef in a healthy diet and educating everyone throughout the beef chain, from producers to consumers.

Boosting Sales with “Rocky Mountain Steak”
The checkoff partnered with USDA, a Korean retailer, and Korean beef importers to fund a “Rocky Mountain Steak” campaign with E-mart, Korea’s largest retail chain, which triggered an 83-percent increase in U.S. beef sales at the chain! Such events are part of a strategy to capitalize on U.S. beef’s success in the restaurant sector by focusing on increasing retail sales, as well. The “To Trust” campaign focuses on the positive of attributes of U.S. beef through “World Class Beef” messaging that highlights the safety and quality of U.S. beef, especially to younger consumers/families. Get the details at Rocky Mountain Steak.

ASEAN Export Efforts
The Texas Beef Council (TBC), in partnership with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), recently hosted a group of ten importers, buyers and chefs from the ASEAN region for a Texas beef industry tour.  Participants traveled across the state and visited a ranch, feedyard, processing plant, retail outlets, and several foodservice establishments. The ASEAN region includes counties such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Texas Beef Checkoff Program invests in programs throughout the year that are aimed at expanding market penetration, improving global consumer perceptions and building trust in U.S. beef.
 

Beef Production Boot Camp
More than 45 Kroger meat market managers participated in a two day beef production boot camp held at Texas A&M University. Boot camp is designed to help participants become more familiar with the farm to fork process and best management practices involved in raising cattle for beef.  The checkoff-funded Beef Production Boot Camp empowers key influencers in the retail channel to educate consumers and address concerns regarding sustainability, environmental impact, animal handling, animal health and animal welfare. Beef Production Boot Camp is presented in cooperation with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
 

Continuing Education
Ten chefs and culinary instructors recently visited the South Plains for a pasture to plate tour of the beef industry. Attendees visited Texas Tech University, Lubbock Feeders and Cargill processing plant in Friona. Following beef from farm to fork while learning the purpose of management decisions along the process proves to be an invaluable tool in educating influencers. Providing pasture to plate experiences remains a focus for the Texas Beef Checkoff.
The Texas Beef Council (TBC) conducts the $1 per head national checkoff program for Texas beef producers and is also the contractor for the Beef Promotion Research Council of Texas (BPRCT), which administers the $1 per head Texas state checkoff program. TBCs mission is to increase beef demand in the state through programs of beef promotion, research and education. TBC also helps fund national and international beef checkoff programs to increase marketing opportunities around the globe. The BPRCTs mission is to improve Texas producer profitability by strengthening and expanding beef demand. The TBC and the BPRCT are directed by a 20-member board of cattlemen and women representing the states beef producers. For more information on this and other checkoff-funded programs, please visit www.TexasBeefCheckoff.com or call 800-846-4113.