By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — With 86 percent of Americans recognizing the “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner,” catchphrase, it’s not surprising that in a recent study, beef cattle producers said they are quite satisfied with the success of the beef checkoff.

“Every one can complete that sentence,” said Joe Moore, director of marketing and consumer education at the Indiana Beef Cattle Assoc. “The no. 1 program in the 22 years of the beef checkoff has been that slogan (Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner), and we’ve been able to successfully put beef in the minds of our consumers ever since.”

In fact, in a recently-released survey of 1,200 beef producers nationwide, an independent market research firm, commissioned by the National Beef Board found that 68 percent of producers approved of the beef checkoff. Unfortunately, this figure is down nearly 72 percent from a year ago.

“With negative market conditions we expected that overall approval might drop,” said Richard Nielson, an Ephraim, Utah, cow-calf producer and chairman of the joint producer communications committee. He said while the shift in approval is just outside the survey’s statistical margin of error (plus or minus 2.8 percent) and is therefore ‘significant,’ the survey found that producers recognize the program has some key strengths and plays an important role in the cattle business.

According to Moore, since the checkoff’s inception in 1987, “we’ve seen demand for beef grow and consumption improve. The producers understand we need a collection of voices in the checkoff,” he said, citing one of the reasons producers have responded with positive comments.

In the survey conducted in late December and early January, producers were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about the checkoff.

A large majority, 83 percent, believed the checkoff program has helped contribute to a positive trend in consumer demand for beef. About the same number believed the program had value in weak economic conditions and were confident the checkoff is on their side during a crisis. When it comes to their own operation, producers largely said the program had benefited them.

Approximately seven in 10 thought that over the years the beef checkoff helped contribute to the profitability of their operations. Management of the checkoff was viewed favorably as well. Nearly two-thirds or 64 percent, believed the checkoff program is being managed well.

“Producer approval of the checkoff has ranged from the mid-60 to the mid-70 percent range for more than a decade. As our researchers pointed out, the current economic situation certainly played a role in pulling approval lower. But we also know that approval is tied to how informed producers are about the program.

Our challenge, therefore, remains to help producers get to know their program by providing many different information choices,” Nielson said.

He noted that despite year-to-year cuts in the producer communications budget, his committee recommended an information program that includes paid ads in producer-read publications and on television, an online presence anchored by the MyBeefCheckoff.com website, work with agricultural editors and broadcasters on stories about the checkoff, and direct e-newsletters for beef and dairy producers.

“Our goal is to make learning about the beef checkoff as easy and as available as possible for producers everywhere,” Neilson added. A copy of the report is available www.beefboard.org