Information about your $1.50-per-head Iowa Beef Checkoff Program
Your Checkoff Update
Checkoff dollars are invested in 6 programs areas:
- Promotion
- Includes advertising, merchandising, and new-product development, as well as training and promotional partnerships with restaurants and supermarkets that stimulate sales of beef products.
- Research
- Provides the foundation for virtually all checkoff-funded information and promotion projects by providing the science related to beef nutrition, beef safety and pathogen resistance. The checkoff also invests in quality enhancement and new-product opportunities, as well as analysis of consumer trends, perceptions, and concerns about beef and the beef community.
- Consumer information
- Helps enhance beef's image by sharing nutritional data and other positive messages with targeted news media, food editors, dietitians, physicians and other individuals and groups who influence consumer's food knowledge and choices.
- Industry information
- Strives for an accurate understanding of the beef industry and helps maintain a positive cattle-marketing climate. Also provides factual information to correct misleading or inaccurate publicity about beef safety and environmental and animal-welfare issues.
- Foreign marketing
- Identifies and develops international markets for U.S. beef and beef variety meats through programs aimed at expanding market penetration, gaining new market access, improving global consumer perceptions and building trust in U.S. beef.
- Producer communication
- Informs producers and importers about how their checkoff dollars are invested and communicates specific program results.
Keeping Beef Top of Mind for Consumers
Reaching consumers through digital advertising
The Beef Checkoff Program is reaching consumers through a series of digital advertising tactics. These ads target millennial consumers with an interest in cooking, recipes, or nutrition information. Ads running through the summer promote grilling with beef and have generated over 500,000 impressions since May 1. Since October 1, 2017, digital advertising campaigns have generated over 2.4 million impressions, driving consumers to iabeef.org for recipes, cooking tips, beef's nutrition, and beef farmer information. It is important to have this information readily available online when and where the consumer is seeking their information.
Statewide Billboards
Keep your eyes open for these billboards across the state.
Statewide Billboard Campaign
Enticing consumers to enjoy beef all summer long across the state of Iowa.
A statewide billboard campaign, featuring vinyl, poster and digital billboards, launched in May and runs through the summer months. The billboards are place in consumer-heavy, high-impression areas. The campaign is expected to generate 20.5 million impressions, keeping beef top of mind for consumers this summer. This campaign is funded by the $0.50-per-head Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program.
Partnership with Fareway Stores, Inc. Promotes Beef. It's What's For Dinner.
In conjunction with Secretary of Ag Mike Naig, the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Fareway Stores, Inc. unveiled a semi-truck recognizing the contributions of Iowa cattle farmers. Unveiled to kick-off May Beef Month, the trailer showcases quality product, set off by a quote from an Iowa cattle farmer.
“As we celebrate May Beef Month and enter the summer grilling season, this trailer will highlight the delicious, nutritious beef raised by our state’s farmers and enjoyed by Iowans across the state,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said. “This is a great opportunity to promote Iowa agriculture and have a rolling billboard for Iowa beef.”
“Retailers in the state of Iowa are a valuable partner to Iowa cattlemen and the beef industry,” says Steve Rehder, chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council and beef farmer from Hawarden. “We are pleased to kick-off May Beef Month with the unveiling of the Fareway trailer wrap, which highlights high quality beef, from farm to table.”
“May Beef Month recognizes the contributions of our Iowa cattle farmers and the quality product they produce,” said Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer. “This month and every month, Fareway supports local farmers. This trailer is a tribute to high quality beef that Iowa, and ultimately Fareway, is known for.”
The trailer will be added to Fareway’s existing fleet, and travel a five-state region including Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
Pro's Who Know
Rochelle Gilman, Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutrition and Health Promotions, shares burger grilling tips and recipes leading up to Memorial Day weekend, a popular grilling holiday.
Beef Checkoff TV Segment Promotes Beef
A new monthly TV segment with the CW of Des Moines shares beef recipes, cooking tips, and nutrition information.
The Iowa Beef Industry Council has partnered with the CW for a series of TV segments through the Pro's Who Know program. IBIC will appear on a live TV segment monthly through September to share beef cooking tips, recipes and nutrition information. Rochelle Gilman, Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutrition and Health Promotions for IBIC, hosts the segment with Jackie and Lou. The segments are they posted to the IBIC Pro's Who Know page on the We Are Iowa website, as well as shared through the IBIC YouTube and social media pages. This promotion is funded by the Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program.
Freezer Meal Workshop Shares Beef Benefits
Convenient meals, beef's nutritional benefits, and cooking tips were shared with the group during the workshop
The Sac County Cattlemen, Iowa Beef Industry Council and Sac County Youth Beef Team Members Chase Hurd and Sydney Hurd teamed up to host a Beef Freezer Meal Workshop. The workshop was held Thursday, May 24th at the Sac County Extension Office. Chase and Sydney welcomed attendees to the workshop with a game of Beef Trivia Wheel, prizes were awarded if you could answer questions related to beef production and nutrition.
Rochelle Gilman, Director of Nutrition and Health Promotion for the Iowa Beef Industry Council, spoke on the nutritional benefits and convenience of cooking and eating beef. Attendees were then able to prepare two beef freezer meals to take home, Slow-Cooked Beef Risotto and Wild West Beef Hash. Freezer meals are a great prepare ahead meal for busy people and families on the go, and beef freezer meals are packed full of nutrients and protein. To find these and other convenient, delicious and nutritious recipes, just visit https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com. Sac County's Beef Freezer Meal workshop was a great success with twenty participants.
Research Proposals Approved
Eight beef research projects approved through the Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program
Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) Board of Directors approved eight beef research proposals to be funded by the $0.50 per head Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program. In the first call for proposals, thirteen research proposals were received from multiple state universities. Eight research projects gained board approval for a total investment of $342,332 to be expensed over two fiscal years. The goal is to work forward on key industry topics by investing in research that provides the opportunity to advance the industry.
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Conference, March 23, 2018.
The Beef Checkoff Program hosted an exhibit at the Iowa Cardiopulmonary Rehab Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 23, 2018. Heart-healthy beef recipes and new research on lean beef in heart-healthy diets were available to attendees.
Beef Checkoff Exhibits at Iowa Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Conference
The Iowa Beef Industry Council, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff Program, attended the Iowa Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Conference in Des Moines, Iowa on March 23, 2018. The state-wide conference is held for healthcare professionals who work in cardiopulmonary rehab, providing continuing education and new information regarding heart health.
The exhibit included new research, funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, on lean beef in heart healthy diets, including the Beef WISE and BOLD research studies. Two new beef recipes and information on the eight lean beef cuts, both meeting the American Heart Association Heart-Check Certification, were available for participants.
“New research shows lean beef has a place in a heart-healthy diet,“ says Rochelle Gilman, RD, Director of Nutrition and Health. “We have a great story to tell and it’s important we share new research and heart-healthy beef recipes with healthcare professionals, who promote cardiovascular health to cardiac patients on a daily basis.”
Laura Blomme, Iowa beef farmer from Iowa County, talks to University of Iowa dietetic interns about beef production on their family farm.
Beef Checkoff Hosts Media Training Workshop for Dietetic Interns
The Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) provided a media training workshop to twenty-five dietetic interns and students at Iowa State University in Ames on February 21 and at the University of Iowa on February 22 in Iowa City. The training provided an opportunity for professional development in media communications and beef nutrition research to interns and students who will become registered dietitians.
Topics covered in the training included media tips and skills, food demonstration tips, beef nutrition update and individual mock interviews on the benefits of optimal protein intake.
The purpose of the beef checkoff’s outreach to health professionals is to provide credentialed health professionals, like dietitians, new science-based information about the nutrition and health benefits of beef. Dietitians can have a positive influence with beef by making recommendations regarding beef’s role in a healthy diet to patients on a daily basis.
Economic Importance of Iowa's Beef Industry
Iowa State University partnered with the Iowa Beef Industry Council, through the $0.50 per head Iowa State Beef Checkoff, to conduct an economic contribution study of the Iowa beef industry. The study is important to the state’s beef industry to further understand the economic importance and value added opportunities. The study included four main components: highlights the current state of the beef industry in Iowa as it relates to production, marketing trends, and economic activity generated through each sector of the industry; estimates the total economic contribution of beef cattle production in Iowa; estimates the total economic contribution of the cattle slaughter and beef processing sector in Iowa; and identifies opportunities for beef industry growth in Iowa. Additional partners included: Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Corn, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, and Iowa Area Development Group.
For example: In 2016, Iowa’s beef industry generated an estimated $6.30 billion of economic activity within the state and supported an estimated 32,317 jobs (19,528 direct and 12,789 indirect). Animal agriculture continues to be a valuable asset for jobs that ultimately grow communities.
Beef Checkoff Relaunches "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" Campaign
Twenty-five years after establishing one of the nation’s most iconic food brands, America’s beef farmers and ranchers are leveraging the strong equity of Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. to reintroduce the brand to a new generation of consumers. The campaign launched October 1 with the strongest assets from the long-loved brand – such as the famous Aaron Copland “Rodeo” music and the famous tagline with digital advertising and a new digital platform at beefitswhatsfordinner.com, a single, comprehensive location provides an interactive experience on all things beef, from cuts and cookery, to an inside look at the lives of the people who raise beef.
2016 State of the Beef Industry Report
With the domestic beef cattle herd expansion and steady increases in supply, the state of the beef industry is evolving and there is reason for optimism moving forward. The following report details many of the opportunities beef is pursuing through checkoff-funded programs and how science and research continue to lay the foundation for critical data-driven decisions, including the latest consumer trends, national statistics, and industry information.
To receive a copy of the report, please contact Chris Freland.