2005 News Archive
Beef Industry Showcases Youth Education Efforts
Youth Education Events Directed at “Tween” Girls
DENVER (April 7, 2005) – The Beef Checkoff Program’s emphasis on youth education was on display at two recent events aimed at 8 to 12-year-old girls, or “tweens”, and the editors of the publications they read. The programs focused on the ease and fun of cooking with beef, as well as its importance in the diets of these growing girls.
Youth education is one of the programs funded by America’s beef producers through the Beef Checkoff Program. This youth education program was coordinated on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The NCBA serves as one of the Beef Board’s contractors for checkoff-funded programs.
In the first event, held March 15 in Chicago, a group of tween girls worked with the checkoff-funded Culinary Center staff to prepare and evaluate kid-friendly beef recipes and get firsthand feedback from the girls about what they find appealing – or not appealing – about cooking with and eating beef.
“Tween girls just aren’t getting the nutrients they need to fuel their bodies now and in the future from the calories they currently consume,” explained James Rhein, Arkansas cattle producer and chairman of the beef industry’s Joint Youth Education and Information Subcommittee. “The key is to find ways to make beef appealing and fun for them to prepare and to eat. As a naturally nutrient-rich food and as part of a well-rounded meal, beef fuels active, growing girls.”
These recipes were shared again at a cooking and grilling event held March 31 at Cowgirl Restaurant in New York City. Editors from several of the leading tween magazines, including CosmoGIRL, Weekly Reader and Dance Spirit, attended to hear specifically how beef fits into the diets of these girls.
“Culinary events are a unique way to get the message out regarding the nutritional qualities that beef brings to the youth diet and to showcase beef as a fun and appealing entrée for young people,” Rhein said.
Find more information regarding the beef checkoff’s outreach to “tween” girls at:
http://www.zip4tweens.com/
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.