Thousands of dietitians attending the American Dietetics Association (ADA) Conference in St. Louis last week heard a positive message of how beef fits into healthy diets.  David Dick, a beef producer from Sedalia, Missouri, and a member of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, attended the conference.  He says it was his first time attending this kind of event, and he was happy that the beef industry was there.

Cut #1         :14          Outcue: "...very much doing that."

According to Dick, the beef industry helped kick of the conference with a beef cooking demonstration that highlighted a new checkoff-funded cookbook.   

Cut #2         :27          Outcue: "...the way it should be.”

Dick, who is also chairman of the Missouri Beef Industry Council and vice chairman of the national Joint Nutrition and Health Committee, says the beef industry’s presence at this kind of event is critical.

Cut #3         :26          Outcue: "...it’s also healthy."

The beef industry nutrition message doesn’t stop when the conference ends.

Cut #4         :22          Outcue: "...present our information."

Nutrition education and information programs are conducted on behalf of America’s Beef Producers and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.  The Beef Board is made up of producers from around the country, who administer the Beef Checkoff Program. Oversight 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.