Federation of State Beef Councils Update

Beef is Front and Center During Climate Week NYC. The annual Climate Week NYC event, hosted by The Climate Group in partnership with the United Nations, the City of New York, and the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, often leads to increased media coverage questioning the sustainability of the cattle industry, but it also provides an opportunity to proactively share beef’s sustainability story and positive information about its role in healthy sustainable diets.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association decided it was time to share the beef industry’s perspective as part of the official Climate Week schedule during this year’s event. The virtual session entitled “Can beef be sustainable? Cattle’s role in the climate solution,” was moderated by nutritionist Nicole Rodriguez, RD, NASM-CPT, and featured a panel of speakers including Jessica Gilreath, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M University; Jen Johnson Livsey, cattle producer at Flying Diamond Ranch in Kit Carson, Colo.; and Lamar Moore, celebrity chef and winner of Food Network’s Vegas Chef Prizefight.

During the session on September 23, more than 300 attendees learned from this panel of diverse perspectives about how the beef community is investing in sustainability and preserving resources for generations to come. Attendees also discovered ways that beef cattle can be a critical part of the climate solution through managed grazing, carbon sequestration, mitigating wildfires, preserving wildlife habitats, and more. Through this group of experts, the Beef Checkoff shared the ecosystem services that beef provides as part of a sustainable food supply.

The media’s portrayal of beef as part of the environmental problem has led to confusion among consumers on the industry’s effect on climate change. When asked about cattle’s true environmental impact, Gilreath stressed that cattle are not major emitters of greenhouse gases. “According to the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas from beef cattle only represents two percent of emissions in the U.S,” she said. “Cattle are part of the natural carbon cycle and the methane they do emit is broken down in the atmosphere in 9-12 years.”

Livsey shared her story as a fifth generation cattle producer on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, where arid conditions prove best suited for grazing cattle instead of growing crops. “Cattle interacting with grasses on the landscape are needed to maintain a healthy watershed, provide wildlife habitat, and create an overall healthy ecosystem,” she said during the webinar. “And we are not alone in our sustainability efforts as thousands of cattle producers across the country are constantly making improvements to practices based on their specific ecosystems.”

The role beef plays as part of a healthy diet also took center stage during the discussion. Rodriguez emphasized the versatility of more than 40 cuts of lean beef, packed with protein and other nutrients. “Cattle take plants inedible to humans and create a delicious and nutritious food,” she said. “Beef also serves as a good vehicle for the conscious consumption of more fruits and vegetables.” Meanwhile, Moore highlighted the ways chefs build menus around beef as a sustainable food.

Can cattle be part of the climate solution? According to Gilreath, the answer is a resounding yes. “Cattle ranches benefit society by helping with water regulation and purification, carbon sequestration, and wildfire suppression, especially in the West,” she said.

Everyone from pasture to plate has a part to play in sharing beef’s sustainability story. “As a chef, I have the opportunity to teach people about how cattle are raised and to explain how eating beef is healthy for both people and the environment,” said Moore. “It really comes down to education, learning where beef is coming from, and getting to know the families producing the product.”

Livsey agreed, concluding, “We need to emphasize to consumers that the families producing beef are doing their very best for their animals and

their land. We work every day to make improvements and we are proud of the product that ends up on dinner tables across the country, including mine.”

In addition to the webinar, leading up to Climate Week, NCBA leveraged a variety of tactics to share the information about beef sustainability and nutrition, including submitting letters to the editor and op-eds across the country; developing shareable infographics and videos; hosting a radio media tour with a celebrity chef; partnering with TimeOut New York to feature sustainability in New York ranches, and even showcasing beef sustainability on a billboard in Times Square. For more information about sustainability efforts, visit www. beefitswhatsfordinner.com/newsroom/ sustainability.

E-commerce Promotion Increases Beef Sales. Shopping online for groceries continues to be popular with consumers. To promote beef to online shoppers, NCBA worked with Sam’s Club to create a ‘Kickoff to Summer Grilling’ e-commerce campaign that ran from mid-April through Memorial Day 2021. This initial campaign exceeded all metric benchmarks, including sales lift, impressions, and new buyers to the beef category. The campaign also had a Return on Ad Spend (ROAS or ROI) of more than $34, which means every Checkoff dollar spent on this media returned more than $34 in beef sales.

Additionally, Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. was featured through Sam’s Club during a ‘Kickoff to Tailgating’ e-commerce campaign to support beef sales for those stocking up on purchases for tailgating (or homegating) events. This campaign included on-site display and email marketing to club members.

Other e-commerce efforts include working with major national retailers to support online retail beef sales for the 2021 summer grilling season by exposing them to inspirational beef messaging and imagery at the digital point of purchase using the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. brand. The goal was to strategically target message placement to those who are already shopping for beef and to those shopping for competitive proteins and complementary products, like hamburger buns or condiments. Retail partners included:

Walmart - digital media and messaging buy on Walmart’s digital platforms, including on-site display on www.Walmart.com and on Walmart’s order pickup and delivery platforms, as well as off site display.

Kroger - digital media and messaging buy on Kroger’s digital platforms with nationwide reach in all Kroger divisions/ banners, including King Soopers, Dillon’s, etc. The campaign included Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. creative in targeted on-site display ads and video placement across the Kroger digital ecosystem.

Target - digital media and messaging buy that included onsite display on www.Target.com and the Target app, search placements to reach intent-based audiences, off-site display, and Pinterest social media placements.

Federation of State Beef Councils Sponsors the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 for Second Year. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand to be back on broadcast television for NASCAR’s season opening race at Daytona International Speedway. The Federation of State Beef Councils, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, has once again partnered with the Daytona International Speedway to sponsor the 41st season opening race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series - the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300. The event is set for February 19, 2022, one day ahead of the legendary DAYTONA 500.

“Just like the great racing legacies, farmers and ranchers have a legacy, also passing it down from generation to generation, and that’s why we’re so excited to once again sponsor this premiere sporting event and showcase America’s hard working beef farmers and ranchers,” said Clay Burtrum, Federation Division Chair for NCBA. “Continuing this partnership for a second year allows us to build on everything we developed in year one and expand our footprint even further – from tailgating to the big screen – beef is the star.”

While funding for the sponsorship comes from the Federation of State Beef Councils, the national Beef Checkoff will support the effort with staffing and promotional work through their contractor, NCBA. From commercial production to social media promotion and traditional media outreach, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. will be back on the racetrack and in the national spotlight.

The 2022 Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 continues the relationship between the Beef Checkoff and Daytona International Speedway. In 2020, the track produced “Race Day Recipes” on their digital channels, showcasing Speedway President Chip Wile and his beef grilling

Have you forgotten something? Make sure your cattlemen friends are members of your state association!

expertise. Following a great response and seeing NASCAR’s clear love of beef, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 was born in 2021.

For more information, including ticket options safety protocols, visit daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 800-PITSHOP.

About the Federation of State Beef Councils. The Federation of State Beef Councils is housed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. The program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50¢ on the dollar and forward the other 50¢ per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.