2000 News Archive
PRODUCERS MORE INFORMED ABOUT BEEF CHECKOFF; SUPPORT INCREASES
DENVER, CO (August 2, 2000) – An independent survey of beef producers conducted in July found them more optimistic about their industry, more informed about the checkoff and more supportive of the national program.
The information was gathered through a random survey of 1,008 producers from throughout the nation by Boulder, Colorado-based Aspen Media and Market Research. The survey has a +/- 3.1 percent margin of error. This producer attitude survey is conducted twice a year by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. This 110-member board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the $1-per-head checkoff, to certify state beef councils, to implement the provisions of the Federal order establishing the checkoff and to evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.
The survey found that producers continue to be more optimistic about their industry, with six out of ten producers now saying their industry is “headed in the right direction,” up 26 points from a year ago. They remain cautious about price, however, with two out of three indicating they believe prices will be the same or worse through the end of the year.
When asked about how informed they believed they were about the checkoff, 66 percent considered themselves “somewhat” or “well” informed, up 3 percent from January 2000. The biggest increase in this category was among those who classified themselves as “very well informed,” now 31 percent of producers, up 8 points since January. The number of producers who consider themselves “not too well informed” or “not informed at all” dropped from 37 percent in January to 34 percent in July.
“The encouraging aspect of this survey,” said CBB Chairman Les McNeill, a Panhandle, Texas, cattle feeder, “is that we appear to be making headway in our efforts to keep producers better informed about their checkoff investment. We still have work to do, but the trend is in the right direction.”
When asked whether or not they supported the checkoff, 69 percent of producers reported they “strongly” or “somewhat” supported the checkoff, up from 65 percent in January. At the same time, the number of producers who said they “somewhat” or “strongly” disapproved of the checkoff continued to decline; the July survey found 20 percent in these categories, down from 25 percent a year ago and 22 percent in January.
The survey also found one producer in four remembers news about the checkoff, 67 percent of which they considered “good” or “neutral.” When asked about newsletters about the checkoff that are inserted into national publications, 37 percent said they remember them, but only 7 percent could identify specific elements in the newsletter; both numbers are similar to January results.
“Producers told us a year ago in a similar survey that they wanted to know more about how their dollars are being spent. CBB has both the moral obligation and the legal authority to make sure that happens. The quarterly update newsletters were a first step and they seem to be having the desired affect,” McNeill concluded.
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The 110-member Beef Board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee collection of the $1-per-head checkoff, certify state beef councils, implement provisions of the Federal Order establishing the checkoff and evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff-funded programs.