2005 News Archive
BEEF BOARD RELEASES FISCAL 2004 ANNUAL REPORT
SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 2, 2005) – Beef producers invested checkoff dollars into promotion, education, research and information programs aimed at extending the upward trend in consumer demand for beef during the last year.
These programs are outlined in the 2004 annual report of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, released this week at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in San Antonio . The annual report highlights some of the leading checkoff programs accomplished during the year and provides detailed, audited financial information for the 2004 fiscal year, which ran Oct. 1, 2003 through Sept. 30, 2004 . The report includes state-by-state checkoff revenue listings and compares 2004 expenditures to those in 2003.
“Amid some big challenges for the beef industry in 2004, we kept our focus on building consumer demand for beef through a variety of programs centered on beef safety, nutrition and promotion,” said Beef Board Chairman Nelson Curry, a cattleman from Kentucky .
“The results of these programs were extremely positive and, as a producer, I’m pleased with the accomplishments of my checkoff dollars toward enhancing cattlemen’s opportunities for profit,” Curry continued. “When you stop and realize that demand for beef has increased more than 25 percent since it turned the corner in 1998, it’s hard to be anything but proud.”
During the latest fiscal year, checkoff programs spanned the spectrum, from “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” television, radio and print advertising promoting beef and veal, to research efforts focused on maintaining the safety of the U.S. beef supply. In addition, checkoff dollars funded consumer information programs aimed at delivering accurate, science-based messages about beef to media, consumers, health professionals and educators, as well as foreign-marketing efforts to rebuild demand for U.S. beef abroad in the wake of a single case of BSE in the U.S.
“One of the end results was increased consumer confidence in the safety of U.S. beef,” Curry said. “In fact, surveys indicated that 91 percent of U.S. consumers remained confident that their beef was safe from BSE in January 2004, just a month after the BSE case. And at the close of the fiscal year in September 2004, that confidence level was still above 90 percent and has been even higher since then.”
Free copies of the 2004 Cattlemen’s Beef Board Annual Report are available by writing to the Beef Board at 9110 E. Nichols Ave., Ste. 303 , Centennial , CO 80112 , by calling 303-850-3465, or by sending a request via email to beefboard@beef.org . The annual report for 2004 and those for several previous years will also be accessible online at www.beefboard.org by clicking on the “Financial & Audit” button on the home page, and then on the “2004 Annual Report” button.
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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 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. The checkoff assessment became mandatory when the program was approved by 79 percent of producers in a 1988 national referendum vote. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.
Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the NCBA is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.