COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (Oct. 3, 2003) -- Beef producers across the country will soon receive firsthand information about how their beef checkoff dollars are used. The delivery vehicle: a "Beefmobile," a van emblazoned with beef art that will travel across the United States and visit livestock marketing facilities.

In addition to delivering information to beef producers, the Beefmobile will have a consumer component and whet consumer appetites for beef. As it travels along the nation's highways, the Beefmobile will serve as a rolling billboard. It will also reach out to consumers at retail stores and food festivals and stop by schools to provide teachers with literature about beef.

Funding this innovative, multi-purpose promotional vehicle is the Cattlemen's Beef Board, which comprises 108 beef producers who oversee the $1-per-head Beef Checkoff Program.

"Reaching out to grassroots producers who market through livestock marketing facilities is refreshing," states Shawn Madden of Torrington Livestock Market, Torrington, Wyo. "These individuals who have been contributing to the beef checkoff deserve attention, and this shows a terrific attitude by those who oversee the spending of checkoff dollars.

"It also seems a wise use of checkoff dollars to use this beefmobile as a tool for consumer promotion," he added.

The proposal to fund a Beefmobile with checkoff dollars was brought before the Cattlemen's Beef Board by National Livestock Producers Association, a livestock marketing organization based in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"The Beefmobile idea began as an outreach program to grassroots producers-those who contribute to the beef checkoff but are not fully informed about how their checkoff dollars are used," states R. Scott Stuart, president and CEO of NLPA.

As a livestock marketing organization, NLPA wanted the everyday beef producer to have direct access to the results of beef checkoff research and promotional information. The Beefmobile means producers will no longer have to attend a specific meeting to obtain information about their beef checkoff. They can simply stop by the van when they visit their local livestock marketing facility."

Stuart notes that the consumer component of the project-the stops at supermarkets, food festivals and schools along the way-was added to the Beefmobile to leverage checkoff dollars to the greatest extent possible.

"When the Beefmobile is traveling from one livestock marketing facility to the next, it just made sense to include stops at retail stores, food festivals and schools," Stuart explains. "The more information producers provide to consumers about beef safety, nutrition and value for their food dollar, the more likely consumers are to purchase beef."

Under funding approved by the Beef Promotion Operating Committee for fiscal 2004, which began Oct. 1, the Beefmobile will visit 100 livestock marketing facilities and make 100 consumer stops. The Operating Committee left the option open for state beef councils to add to the number of stops in their respective states by providing additional funding when the van is in their area.

Livestock marketing facility owners and managers have expressed excitement about this new beef checkoff project.

Bobby Eslick of Tennessee Livestock Producers, Fayetteville, Tenn., said this type of beef checkoff program has been needed for a long time; and George Gookin of Producers Livestock Marketing Association, Oakdale, Calif., said funding of the Beefmobile is a strong indication that all producers are considered important to the checkoff.

The Beefmobile will make its debut in mid-January. Beef producers will recognize this rolling billboard by its beef-oriented design and prominent beef checkoff logo.

Coordination and promotion of the Beefmobile will be handled by NLPA of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Charleston|Orwig of Hartland, Wis., NLPA's marketing communications agency of record.

"Funding of the Beefmobile by the Cattlemen's Beef Board sends a clear message to beef producers," Stuart summarizes. "Those overseeing the beef checkoff want all beef producers to know how their checkoff dollars are being used for research and promotion. This effort also allows consumers to receive information emphasizing that beef can be nutritious, safe and a terrific value."

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The Beef Checkoff 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 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.

The National Livestock Producers Association, founded in 1921, is an organization of livestock marketing cooperatives and credit corporations representing more than 200,000 livestock producers nationwide.

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