8 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN
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STATE BEEF COUNCILS
Building beef demand by inspiring, unifying and supporting an effective state/national checkoff partnership.
Key Marketers Attend Beef Summit in Texas Representatives of almost a dozen key national beef marketers, including Target, Sam’s Club, Kroger and Jack in the Box, attended the first Roundup Beef Business Summit in Corpus Christi and Kingsville, Texas, Sept. 28-30. The beef checkoff-funded event was hosted by the Texas Beef Council and NCBA, as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. The Roundup provided the industry an opportunity to strategically educate important decision-makers in some of the leading retail and foodservice companies about important beef industry issues, such as market and supply, production and sustainability, beef ’s brand journey and consumer decisions; and the future of the industry. Participants were able to tour the King Ranch and King Ranch Institute, and interact with checkoff staffs at both
the national and state levels and learn from their expertise. In a survey conducted before the event, all participants strongly or somewhat agreed that having beef on the menu/ in the case helps attract customers, and they looked “to gain a better knowledge of the overall role of beef producers/ supplier relationships and how to leverage those relationships on the retail side” from the event. After the summit 100 percent said they found the event somewhat or extremely valuable, and all would recommend the event to other retail/foodservice operators. For more information on the Beef Business Summit, see Dave Zino’s column on page 19.
Great Way to Celebrate Beef State Staff Meet in Denver Day at New York State Fair to Gather, Share Ideas Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Beef Day at the Great New York State Fair Sept. 1, the New York Beef Council went all out to educate consumers while providing a fun atmosphere for celebrating all of the great things beef producers bring to the table every day. The “Create the Perfect Burger” contest, for example, allowed 10 finalists from across New York to compete for a chance to win a grand prize of $500 and the celebrity of being the state’s “perfect” burger cook for the year. The winner was Mary Volcko of Camillus, N.Y., who took top honors with her “Jamaican Me Happy Fair Burger.” Also on tap was the NYBC’s annual Media Grill-Off, which pitted personalities from television and radio from the Syracuse area to create a burger masterpiece of their own in one hour. Winners were local personalities Rick Roberts and Jack Ryan, who won with a bacon infused, chipotle mayo-covered burger affectionately named “The Sticky Ricky.” Throughout the day fair-goers were
encouraged to tour the beef barns, talk with farmers and enjoy the animal judging. An official proclamation of Beef Day was provided by Maria Knirk, an official with the state’s department of agriculture. “Beef Day enables consumers to celebrate and thank our cattle farming community for a job well done,” says NYBC director of public relations and promotions Jean O’Toole. “It’s also a day we can focus on the number one protein on restaurant menus and consumer plates across New York State.”
More than six dozen representatives from 32 state beef councils participated in the 2015 Partnerships in Action (PIA) Conference Oct. 12-14 at the NCBA offices in Denver. PIA is
coordinated by the Federation to give beef council executives and staff greater insight into the program of work for the Beef Checkoff Program’s new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. State staff could also utilize the information in enhancing programs that would be conducted within their own areas of the country. State beef councils at the conference were recognized for their hard work and innovation through the Great Idea Awards program. The winner of the Greatest Idea Award went to the Tennessee Beef Industry Council, which conducted a “Battle of the Burger” to capitalize on the popular food scene in downtown Nashville. In its project the TBIC highlighted many of the variety of food service operations that feature burgers, and brought attention to the numerous burger concepts Janna Sullivan (left), TBIC director of retail and foodservice, in the Nashville area. The and Valerie Bass, TBIC executive director, celebrated the project also increased beef ’s organization’s Greatest Idea Award at an evening event during image among millennials. PIA in Denver Oct. 13.
The Sticky Ricky burger was a baconinfused creation of two local Syracuse radio personalities.
Mary Volcko (center) was the winner in a consumer “Create the Perfect Burger” contest, with finals held at the Great New York State Fair. Shown with Volcko are Patty Bikowsky (left), NYBC chair, and NYBC’s Jean O’Toole.
Examining the Pros of Protein
Where do we stand in terms of protein in the human diet, and how did we get here? A new booklet produced by NCBA as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program
examines the history and current research elements of protein and human nutrition. The 10-page booklet reviews the knowledge uncovered about protein in the early part of the 20th century, to new checkoff-funded research supported in the 21st century to determine the varying dietary needs for all age groups and populations. A description of what protein is and what it does for the human body is provided, as are researcher comments about future protein research needs. For a copy of the booklet, go to www. beefresearch.org/humannutrition.aspx, or e-mail Betty Anne Redson at bredson@ beef.org.