Nathan Lawson: The Value of a Dollar (part 4): Education

THE VALUE OF A DOLLAR (PART 4): EDUCATION

NATHAN LAWSON

Director of Kentucky Beef Council

My grandmother was an amazing lady. Margaret Crews Lawson, known affectionately as Nan, was raised in Hustonville, KY with her older brother Bob. Her parents were general store owners, who at the time of the Great Depression they were operating two stores in Casey County. Wealthy? No, but they were doing well, until a Friday in October of 1929 changed everything for everyone. At the age of 10 she had grown accustomed to the comforts of living in a home that required little of her. Yet the good life they lived quickly became a memory as accounts were left unsettled and prosperity gave way to survival. She talked often about her experiences, but never complained. She spoke fondly of growing up on “the fork”, often recounted the day she spied my grandfather, Clayton for the first time. They would marry, and what she thought was living poor in town, she soon learned paled in comparison to what poor would look like making a living off a farm raising six children in central Kentucky. She would often say, “just do the best you can. That’s all a mule can do.” She understood what that meant. Nan was tough, bright, resourceful and determined. She was committed to the Lord, her family and always to improvement. She placed great value in education and would become a catalyst in our family for generations, as the first in both her own and Pappaw’s family to attend college. With six children, she was in her 40’s with only a high school education when she began teaching in a one room school in Waterford, KY. Born out of necessity, the Superintendent of Spencer County Schools had promised her the job, on her word that she would pursue a degree in education, and so she did. While the cost/reward relationship of a college education has changed drastically since the 1960’s, the intrinsic value of education remains. The authors of our state and federal Beef Promotion and Research Acts, recognized the need for education to be a pillar of the Beef Checkoff program. Today, the need has never been greater to educate an increasingly disconnected consumer about the value of beef in the diet and beef production for environmental stewardship. The Kentucky Beef Council’s, checkoff funded education efforts focus on four important groups; consumers, retail and foodservice, youth, and beef producers. In this edition of The Value of a Dollar, I’d like to share with you a snapshot of the investments being made in these areas and highlight a portion of the work your Kentucky Beef Council is doing.

Consumer

Annually, $110,000 of State Checkoff funds are committed to a variety of consumer education efforts. The Kentucky State Fair typically captures a little less than half of this total. Excluding 2020, an average of 596,000 people, have attended the State Fair annually, over a five year period. While we know that each of those in attendance won’t make it to the Beef booth, there are several opportunities throughout the fairgrounds for attendees to be reached with positive beef messaging and educational content that is funded by the beef checkoff. The resulting cost per reach is roughly 8 to 10 cents per person. Historically, KBC has partnered with the American Heart Association: Go Red for Women event held annually in Lexington ($5,000-$10,000), an event that has provided the opportunity to highlight beef’s great taste and versatility when incorporated into a heart healthy diet. This event is just one of many, that provide the opportunity for dialogue with consumers interested and eager to learn how to continue enjoying the great taste of beef while eating healthy. Virtual Cooking Classes have become a great opportunity to connect with consumers at home. This low cost, interactive method of connecting consumers and culinary professionals has grown with each opportunity. This year KBC has hosted three virtual cooking classes with guest Chefs Josh Moore, Quita Michel, and Registered Dietician Janine Faber.

Retail and Foodservice

I’ve heard it said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” This statement captures our education efforts in retail and foodservice nicely. KBC has long served as a valuable resource for restaurant wait staff, meat department managers at retail, and culinary students. These efforts are low cost, high return. As they are primarily investments of staff time and expertise, along with educational materials. Annually, KBC serves as the go to source for the Bluegrass Hospitality Group wait staff training, with a beef centric message around safe food handling. Kroger meat department managers at retail are beneficiaries of a crash course in beef quality, cutting and handing safety instruction. A growing relationship with Sullivan University continues to provide opportunities to educate culinary students on the benefits of beef and proper beef prep techniques that will produce the optimal tastes and eating experience for consumers.

Youth

The best investment we can make in our future is in the next generation. Annually KBC commits $70,000 to youth education. From Cowboy Camps for our youngest to the Nebraska Youth Beef Leadership Symposium for high school young adults and all programs in between. The list of educational opportunities provided, sponsored, or partnered in is extensive. Collaboration is a key to success, with partners such as; Kentucky 4-H and FFA, Family and Consumer Science educators, Kentucky Ag in the Classroom and a host of elementary and middle schools. Youth education provides a pathway to present the facts in fun and interactive ways to students who, in many cases may never experience the joys of life on a Kentucky cattle farm! The YARDS classroom provides an interactive learning experience and a fun pathway for communicating the facts about beef and beef production. Prior to the pandemic, thousands of youth and adults from across the country visited the classroom. It is exciting to see groups begin to schedule visits once more!

Producer

Finding ways to engage you, the hardworking men and women of Kentucky’s beef industry is a daunting task, at times. Convenient, timely and interactive learning opportunities help. With approximately $25,000 committed to producer education annually, KBC works through local, state and national platforms to help provide and support effortsthatcreateeducationalcontentfor beef producers. The National Institute for Animal Agriculture – Antibiotics Symposium is an excellent example of checkoff dollars at work. As a sponsor to the symposium, KBC was able to provide a strong producer perspective, with the support of Kentucky Cattle producers, balancing the conversation around antibiotic use in beef production while at the table with leaders from the CDC, and the medical community at large. Most recently KBC has partnered with the Kentucky Livestock Marketing Association to cover the costs of Beef Quality Assurance Certifications for Kentucky Beef producers. Education is one of five key areas Kentucky beef checkoff funds can be invested to help move the needle on beef demand and consumption, protect the image of beef, and disseminate the facts about beef production. My hope is that the value in checkoff funded beef education efforts is evident. We are proud to represent you and eager to continue the fight of advocating for truth on behalf of Kentucky’s Beef Industry.