CHECKING IN ON YOUR BEEF CHECKOFF

SHIFTING OUR FOCUS IN CRISIS

by California Beef Council Director of Producer Communications Jill Scofield

When writing our April update for the California Cattleman, I had no idea what was about to unfold. I shared with you details about the California Beef Council’s pending spring integrated marketing campaign, “Tacos, Tequila y Más.” This campaign was supposed to have launched April 1 and continued through the Cinco de Mayo holiday, with multiple elements and messaging that would encourage shoppers to fill their retail baskets with the ingredients needed to create their own ultimate taco night at home.

And then the world changed, seemingly overnight.

Soon after our April update was written, we began to see the rapid and far-reaching fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. Being responsible stewards of your checkoff dollar is of utmost importance to us, and we wanted to be sensitive to public sentiment with this campaign. So, once the ramifications of the current health crisis became clear, we immediately postponed the campaign, and then worked with our board of producers to determine the most appropriate next steps.

With guidance from our board, the CBC has made the determination to cancel the Tacos, Tequila y Más campaign, and pivot our efforts and resources to a different consumer campaign, starting in early summer. This campaign, “United We Steak,” ties into a national campaign rollout, but allows the CBC to aim to unite humanity, unite consumers with the California farmers and ranchers that kept working to keep food on our tables during a pandemic, and offer cash-back on beef during a time of pandemic recovery when many consumers will be struggling financially.

Although specifics of the campaign, including creative and details on which campaign elements will be included, are being finalized at this time, our hope is to launch a broad campaign that brings people together, and highlights beef and its importance nutritionally, as well as offers more incentives for consumers to purchase beef in the aftermath of this crisis.

We will look forward to sharing more about this campaign, as well as its impact, in a future update. You can learn more now by visiting our campaign landing page at UnitedWeSteakCalifornia.com.

Helpful Resources For Consumers and Producers

In addition to adjusting our marketing and education programs, the CBC has assembled some resources for both our consumers and stakeholders, and for you, our producers.

Even though we are living in challenging times, consumers should be assured that today, beef is still what’s for dinner. The CBC has been working to show how our state’s beef producers are committed to not only providing a great product, but helpful information that will deliver a great beef eating experience every time. We’ve launched a series of brief social media videos sharing updates from producers in the field, showing how they are continuing to work to provide a high-quality food supply.

We have also been sharing more about how to prepare beef for families in this new era of increased at-home cooking. The CBC web page – CalBeef.org – has been updated to provide resources for consumers that include at-home educational resources, batch-cooking tips and other beef preparation and storage tips. Provided on the homepage are also links to help consumers who are also homeschooling their children, including a number of beef-focused Ag in the Classroom resources.

The CBC website also includes an updated producer resources page – CalBeef.org/resources/producerresources – that provides you with all the current information on the outbreak relative to the industry. This page also includes resources that may be helpful to you during this time, including online trainings such as Beef Quality Assurance and Masters of Beef Advocacy.

Finally, the entire CBC team would like to thank all of you for your tireless work to ensure beef continues to get from the pasture to the plate during these challenging times. The work of California beef producers to contribute to a stable and safe food supply is more important now than ever. You are appreciated.

USDA Announces Loan Maturity for Marketing Assistance Loans Now Extended to 12 Months

On Friday, April 17, President Trump and U.S. Agricultue Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a $19 billion aid package designed to get funds into the hands, pockets and bank accounts of farmers and ranchers as quickly as possible.

That package will include $16 billion in direct payments for eligible producers. Eligibility is decided by whether a producer has been materially injured by the COVID-19 pandemic, making virtually all farmers and rancehrs eligible.

The remaining $3 billion is interesting: a partnership with private entities (many are nonprofits) to purchase edible food. They’ll be working with for-profit businesses like Sysco, who will package and distribute that purchased food to food banks and other organizations providing food to those who need it. The USDA’s phrasing is that this food will come in a “box,” which brings to mind the infamous Trump administration proposal of shelf-stable, nonperishable foods for food stamp and nutrition assistance recipients. Perdue said this new effort will not be similar to that proposal and will be made up of fresh produce, meat and dairy. Much of the challenge, which Perdue said, involves changing the flow of food from restaurants to retail establishments.

This $19 billion package comes on the heels of the money already marked for agriculture in the vast coronavirus stimulus bill. That bill included $14 billion to the Commodity Credit Corporation, essentially the USDA’s bank, as well as an additional $9.5 billion specifically for livestock producers. On the call, Perdue said that payments from that source wouldn’t arrive until July at the earliest, and that farmers need money sooner.

Perdue did not give a firm date as to when farmers and ranchers could expect to see direct payments or government purchases. “I’m hoping we can get checks by the end of May,” he said on the call. There will be applications for farmers and ranchers to fill out. “I don’t want to be facetious, but does anything happen in the federal government without paperwork?” he said.

Several parts of the agriculture industry were left out. Ethanol producers, which are essentially dying because nobody is driving, will get no assistance in this package. No mention was made of the seafood industry, either, though a little money for them was included in the stimulus bill. And given the lack of a clear end in sight when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis, significantly more money may be needed to keep food producers alive.

resilience [re • sil • ience] noun an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

For California and cattle ranchers, resilience is more than a word, it’s who we are.

#ResilientRanches #ResilientCalifornia