CALF_News_April_May_2020

22 CALF News • April | May 2020 • www.calfnews.net national animal health laboratory and further animal disease preparedness needs. Another NCBA business affairs leader, Danielle Beck, put the issue of “fake meat” on the table. She said NCBA is pushing for passage of the Real Meat Act, introduced last fall in Congressional bills S3016 and HR 4881. “It would require the word ‘imitation’ on every single fake meat product label,” Beck said.“The Impossible™ Burger and Beyond Beef® burger are trading on beef ’s good name. But their CEOs want to put everybody in this room out of business.” Beck said NCBA surveys last fall indicated that more than half of those surveyed believed plant-based products contained some meat or animal byprod- uct ingredients.“About 33 percent believed plant-based products had fewer ingredients than beef,” she said. “Beef has one ingredient. Impossible has 22. Beyond has about 18. About 44 percent thought plant-based had less sodium. But sodium levels are 220 to 620 percent higher in plant-based prod- ucts. It’s pretty absurd. “We need to continue telling our story. We need to continue touting the benefits of beef, and that it is healthy and does not harm the environment. It’s an impressive story to tell.” Concerning livestock marketing, Darryl Blakey, NCBA marketing associ- Outgoing Cattlemen’s Beef Board Chairman Chuck Coffee had plenty of Beef Checkoff news to brag about. He told huge crowds that the $1 per head checkoff is producing a $12 return to the industry through helping educate consumers, fund research and increase beef demand. “We take seriously our mission to produce the best [protein] prod- uct in the world,” he said. “I urge all of you to promote our product to your hometown neighbors and others.” Coffee said Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs have helped increase demand. New research conducted by Colorado State Univer- sity shows that the checkoff-funded BQA results in a significant pre- mium for calves and feeder cattle sold through video auction markets. Data showed a premium of $16.80 per head for cattle that had “BQA” listed in the lot description. During the CBB Board meeting, JoAnn Smith was a guest speaker. She is a long-time Florida cattlewoman who helped found the Beef Checkoff program in the 1980s. She was the first female president of what was then the National Cattlemen’s Association. She was also the only woman in a group of checkoff disciples who first pushed for the $1 per head assessment in the late 1970s. “After two referendums failed, we did more research and got more producer input on what they would support,” Smith remembered. “They wanted the checkoff to be producer controlled and to use existing state beef councils. They wanted to pay a set amount. “One request I loved the most was to get information from the coffee shop and local newspaper, because some of us still had party lines back then. We went to area meetings and talked to producers who were suffering. They told us we had to change consumer demand.” The checkoff task force came up with checkoff language that pro- ducers could support and developed a plan to show how the money would be spent. “We put a board together before the vote,” Smith explained. “When we had the vote, it was 80 percent in favor of the checkoff.” She thanked CBB members from across the nation for their service. “It is your responsibility to wisely spend the money,” she said. “I hope this bit of history helps you understand what got us here.”  CHECKOFF REMAINS STRONG History Is on Its Side SONNY IN SAN ANTONIO Continued from page 21 CBB Chairman Chuck Coffee reminds producers that their Beef Checkoff has nearly a $12 return for every $1 sent in. ate, said NCBA is pushing for better price discovery options. He said NCBA supports reauthorization of Livestock Mandatory Reporting later this year, a policy that helps provide more open and transparent market prices. Blakey said discussions with NCBA stakeholders, the USDA and Commod- ity Futures Trading Commission have included price discovery issues, as well as the need for more oversight to help prevent more burdensome government regulations. RIGHT: Danielle Beck is helping push for passage of the Red Meat Act that requires fake meat products to be identified on packaging like real meat products.  FAR RIGHT: NCBA President Jennifer Houston touts the many victories the beef industry enjoyed the past year.