PROGRAM BEEFS UP OFTEN-OVERLOOKED ROLE OF DAIRYMEN

DENVER (September 11, 1998) - Producing higher quality milk has always been a priority for dairymen. A new educational program being implemented by the Minnesota and Pennsylvania Beef Councils will re-focus attention on an often-overlooked role of dairymen - as producers of quality beef products.

Coordinated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Dairy Beef Quality Assurance program is funded through the national $1-per-head beef checkoff. It is intended to focus attention on practices of dairymen that can have a positive impact on the quality of U.S. beef.

According to Ron Eustice, executive director of the Minnesota Beef Council, dairy producers need assistance with producing quality beef because research shows they are key contributors to the U.S. beef supply. "Roughly half of all cows processed for beef in this country are dairy animals," Eustice says. "That’s why we need to work with dairymen on issues that affect beef quality, consistency and safety."

The program will focus on four key issues: encouraging dairymen to give injections in the neck or shoulder to eliminate blemishes to valuable beef cuts; culling early to reduce the incidence of disabled or "downer" cattle; following label recommendations with animal health products to prevent potential antibiotic resistance; and handling cattle humanely during transportation to avoid bruises and injury.

"Dairy producers should not be fooled into believing their animals are only used for hamburger production," says Eustice. "Many of the middle meats are removed and marketed as higher quality beef cuts."

Dave Ivan, executive director of the Pennsylvania Beef Council, agrees. "One-third of non-fed beef production comes from dairy cows," Ivan says. "Whether used in Philly Steak sandwiches or cooked and marketed as ‘deli’ items, meat from dairy animals is a key contributor to the beef supply – and can be a key contributor to a dairy farm’s income."

Dairy producers who become better managers of their farms from a beef-producing perspective will enhance their profitability by improving consistency and reducing quality problems, Ivan says. Personal contact, presentations and educational materials, such as brochures and posters, will help provide producers with the information they need to improve cattle handling practices that affect the beef from their animals.

-- NCBA --

Demand-building efforts such as the Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Program are funded by the national beef checkoff, administered by the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board. This 111- member board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the beef checkoff, certify state beef councils, implement the provisions of the Federal Order establishing the checkoff and evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.

The Minnesota and Pennsylvania Beef Councils are certified by the Beef Board to collect the mandatory $1-per-head assessment on cattle sales, and invest in promotion, research and educational programs on behalf of their state’s beef and dairy producers. Fifty cents of each dollar collected is controlled by grassroots industry representatives sitting on state boards, which also recommend or appoint representatives to the Beef Board and other national organizations.

Initiated in 1898, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the marketing organization and trade association for America's one million cattle farmers and ranchers. With offices in Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C., NCBA is a consumer-focused, producer-directed organization representing the largest segment of the nation's food and fiber industry.