Encouraging youth to be active in the beef industry is part of the reason for the national Beef Ambassador program, a checkoff-funded effort coordinated for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board by the American National CattleWomen.  Cassie Bacon is one of the young people chosen as a National Beef Ambassador for 2005.  Though she’ll be going off to college next year, she says she’s actually been at this for a long time.

Cut #1      :23         Outcue: "...to the beef industry."

According to Cassie, whose family has a Polled Hereford operation near Prairie Grove, Ark., the beef cattle industry gets a lot out of this kind of program.   

Cut #2      :18         Outcue: "...to our beef cattle."

Cassie says she enjoys speaking with all kinds of audiences.

Cut #3      :19         Outcue: "...likely to eat beef."

Cassie has great plans for continuing the education she is already receiving about beef.

Cut #4      :13         Outcue: "...in meat science."

Special recognition should go out to beef cattle producers, who are making this kind of promotion and education program possible through their $1-per-head beef checkoff. 

Cut #5      :10         Outcue: "...it to consumers."

The five young people in the national Beef Ambassadors travel the country to visit with various audiences about beef and the beef industry.  Oversight for all national beef checkoff programs is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

The national Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, a group of 108 beef producers appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.  They represent producers from coast-to-coast and volunteer their time to help identify programs that can help increase beef demand.  The checkoff was created in the 1985 Farm Bill, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle and a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

The American National CattleWomen, Inc. is a trade association of America's affiliated CattleWomen, with the primary focus of promotion and consumer education regarding beef as a safe and nutritious food, and the production of beef cattle as an industry.  In 2002, the CattleWomen celebrated 50 years of dedication to the beef industry, with a full schedule of upcoming events including the 25^th anniversary Cook-Off.