Contact:           Polly Ruhland               303/850-3394                pruhland@beef.org

                       Diane Henderson          303/850-3465                dhenderson@beef.org

BEEF CHECKOFF PROGRAM CONTINUES

TO PROVIDE NUTRITION EDUCATION TO YOUTH

More than 1 Million Students Reached Nationwide in 2005

DENVER (Feb. 1, 2006) – New products, aggressive market promotions and nutrition education have helped to strengthen beef demand in the past five years.  Despite this focus on current beef users, however, the Beef Checkoff Program has not ignored its upcoming consumer base – the youth of this country.

In fact, nearly 40,000 teachers and more than 1 million students were reached in 2005 with a variety of programs that teach nutrition at the elementary and secondary school levels.  These programs, which incorporate curriculums such as social studies, math, science and health, are part of a campaign to develop and distribute accurate, balanced nutrition information to classrooms since the checkoff was formed in 1986.

The Youth Initiatives program is being reviewed by the Youth Education and Information Subcommittee, as well as by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and Federation of State Beef Councils, during their meetings this week at the 2006 Cattle Industry Convention in Denver. The program is coordinated on behalf of the Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).  Oversight for the checkoff is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In addition to students reached by classroom materials, more than 80,000 girls and their families were reached with the popular Fit For a Princess program, a Junior Girl Scout patch activity that teaches “tween” girls how to eat smart and stay active.  In addition, thanks to the efforts of state beef councils, 135,000 Beef It Up brochures, which contain kid-friendly recipes and nutrition advice, were distributed to kids at health fairs and other events.

“It’s important that we not lose sight of the next generation of beef consumers, as they’re establishing their eating habits right now,” according to James Rhein, chairman of the Joint Youth Education & Information Subcommittee. “Many of these young consumers also make suggestions about what they and their families will eat.”

In the current fiscal year, the youth program is again focused on the school environment, says Rhein, a cattleman from Mountain Home, Ark. In December, after the release of the USDA’s MyPyramid for Kids, posters and tear pads were produced for free distribution to teachers.  Choose Well, a nutrition and math program in the final stages of development, will teach fourth and fifth graders how to choose a variety of nutrient-rich foods and appropriate portion sizes.  The program is funded in part with a grant from Pfizer Animal Health.

The Beef Checkoff Program’s youth effort is also supporting school-based solutions to health issues facing American children. In 2004, congress mandated that all school districts receiving USDA funds for meals develop and implement school wellness policies, including both nutritional and physical components, by the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. The checkoff is funding a School Wellness Tool Kit to serve as a comprehensive resource for anyone wanting to participate in this process at the local level.

“We need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to providing materials that schools will use and fit into their standard curriculum,” says Rhein. “The beef checkoff has always been respected by teachers for its ability to do just that.”

The School Wellness Tool Kit will be available for distribution on March 1.  To order a free kit, call 1-800-368-3138.

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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.

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.