COUNCIL COMMUNICATOR REACHING THE MASSES
CATTLE COUNCIL EFFORTS TO RESONATE WITH THE PUBLIC by California Cattle Council Executive Director Justin Oldfield The California Cattle Council (Council) continues our aggressive public affairs campaign across the state focusing on the economic, environmental and social benefits of California’s cattle industry. If you’ve not seen our TV commercials, radio spots or digital media online, that’s likely by design. Our focus continues to be urban areas of the state and in particular Sacramento – California’s Capitol region. Elected, regulatory and appointed stakeholders that live in and around the region routinely hear and see these messages. In addition to the work around Sacramento, the Council has also seen fit to deploy resources to Sonoma County this summer and fall. These efforts primarily highlight the importance of the dairy industry to the region and local community. As a rancher reading this article, why should I care about the Council’s work in Sonoma County regarding the dairy industry? Dairies in Sonoma County are uniquely subject to elevated criticism and local challenges. The Council is prohibited from engaging in partisan or political activities including taking positions on legislation or state/local ballot initiatives. However, it’s the Council’s mission to educate our fellow Californians, and we are well within our mission by highlighting the importance of the dairy industry to Sonoma County residents and community members. To fund this effort, the Council is deploying money from our response fund that was specifically developed for such a purpose. The Council’s Strategic Plan developed by our producer appointed board calls for the Council to set aside 10 percent of our annual budget to build a war chest of $3 million dollars to allocate rapidly for issues that are likely to significantly disrupt a sector of the cattle industry. Once expended, the fund will be rebuilt for a future purpose. Our response fund enables the Council to
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continue our normal public affairs projects while also being able to pivot to address immediate needs in real time. We are proud of our efforts in Sonoma County, and we hope you will take a moment to watch the commercials and listen to the radio spots. The commercials are being delivered via cable television, TV streaming services, online digital ad placements and social media. Please visit www. sonomacows.com to view our campaign materials. As always, don’t forget to check out our main website at www.calcattlecouncil.org for news about the Council, our work, current projects and your ongoing investment in a program that is truly making a difference and moving the industry forward. We are continually hard at work promoting ranchers and cattle producers in this state and your ongoing cooperation and support is key to our collective success. Thank you for your ongoing support and never hesitate to reach out to our office.