National, random independent survey finds smallest opposition ever.
Three out of four producers (76 percent) continue to support the Beef Checkoff Program and the more they know about the program, the more supportive they are. In addition, the number of producers who say they do not support the program, at 10 percent, is the lowest ever found.
The random survey of 601 beef and dairy producers nationwide was conducted by the independent firm Aspen Media & Market Research in late June and early July. The survey found an overwhelming majority of beef and dairy producers continue to say their beef checkoff has value for them in many ways:
81 percent of producers say the beef checkoff has helped to contribute to a positive trend in beef demand.
71 percent of producers say the beef checkoff contributes to the profitability of their operations.
71 percent say the checkoff represents their interests.
68 percent of producers believe the checkoff is well managed
“While the survey found that the majority of producers reported seeing positive news about the checkoff, 85 percent said they only found these facts while looking for other information about their industries,” says Producer Communications Working Group (PCWG) Chair Jeanne Harland. “This survey found that only 5 percent of producers actively seek information about their checkoff,” the LaFayette, Illinois, cow-calf producer adds.
During the summer meeting of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, Harland challenged fellow board members to “get out there and tell your friends and neighbors about the program. We’ve volunteered our time to review programs here during this meeting in Denver. We had some tough decisions to make, because there are so many great programs to choose from. Now we need to go back to the country and spread the word to those folks who weren’t here to see these programs in person.”
One of the key priorities of the working group which Harland chairs is to ‘increase the understanding of how the checkoff works … how [it] benefits them and their role as stakeholders,’ she notes.
A summary of the research findings is available online here.
UNDERSTANDING THE BEEF CHECKOFF PROGRAM
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff 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 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
For more information about your beef checkoff investment, go to MyBeefCheckoff.com.
Contact: Melissa Sandfort, 308-697-3486; msandfort@beefboard.org
Source: Beef Board
