Association Focus Paul Walker, Illinois Beef Association President During late August and early September I had the opportunity to attend three IBA affiliate gatherings. The Tri-County Cattlemanâs Association met in Roseville for an afternoon tour and an evening of entertainment and social interaction. If you were not there, you missed a great time of good food, live entertainment, a successful auction, and lots of conversation. State Representatives Daniel Swanson and Norine Hammond were present. It is good that Illinois Beef has friends in Springfield like these two Representatives. Woodford County Beef Association met in Goodfield at The Barn III for a great dinner and social. Josh shared some important legislative updates with the group that resulted in an informative question and answer session. Thanks are extended to Abby Reel for letting the group have access to The Barn. If you have never attended dinner and a play at The Barn, make your reservations now. A trip to Goodfield is well worth the evening. Prairie Beef Association had their late summer meeting in Clinton. Sam Arnold grilled some great burgers, and the pie was unbelievable. Grace Arnold, 2021 IBA Outstanding Junior of the Year was recognized along with the achievements of other juniors. A shout-out to Prairie Beef Association as a higher percentage of their members are also members of IBA compared to other affiliates. This fact begs me to ask, have you asked a fellow beef producer to join IBA? Remember, only dues and Political Action Committee contributions can be used to lobby for legislation favorable to cattle production. Checkoff dollars can only be used for beef promotion, education and research. The IBA Board of Governors greatly appreciates the support provided by our affiliates and the positive beef promotion activities these groups are accomplishing. When your affiliate has a meeting, Josh and I welcome the opportunity to attend, just give us 30 days notice on the date and time. It is important to recognize that each of the three affiliates I have mentioned (along with other state affiliates) have strong junior programs. IBA realizes that any association without a growing youth program is a dying organization â that is one reason why IBA puts so much emphasis on the Illinois Junior Beef Association (IJBA) and its members. The IJBA program continues to grow in number of members and activities offered. Consider donating to the Illinois Beef Foundation Junior Scholarship Program â it may be tax deductible for you. IBA has identified our young producer group as an under-utilized part of our association, and the Executive Committee realizes that we seem to lose contact with our junior members once they turn 21. Consequently, as this age group turns 30ish many of this cohort have lost contact with the IBA and do not re-connect with IBA as a young producer. During 2022, IBA is making a commitment to revitalize/reinvent the young producer group. If you know a young family or young person who should be a part of this group, tell us so we can reach out to them. 6
Illinois Beef - November/December 2021
To keep you informed, the Cattlemenâs Beef Board recently approved spending $38.9 million on programs supporting beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications during fiscal year 2022. Nine national organizations will receive the following funding: ⢠American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture: $926,000 ⢠Cattlemenâs Beef Board: $1,850,000 ⢠Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education: $500,000 ⢠Meat Council of America/Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative: $494,760 ⢠National Cattlemenâs Beef Association: $26,010,440 ⢠National Institute for Animal Agriculture: $79,160 ⢠North American Meat Institute: $430,440 ⢠United States Cattlemenâs Association: $210,000 ⢠United States Meat Export Federation: $8,400,000 If you raised one or more daughters, you have probably had a conversation about whether something is a fad or a fashion style. Well, trends in the food industry come and go. A few trends have evolved to become mainstay offerings. Here are a few options that started out as a trend, or niche market, and now are regular options carried by almost every brand for processed deli and lunch meats: ⢠No antibiotics ever ⢠Low fat ⢠Keto certified ⢠Organic ⢠Non-GMO ⢠Fat free ⢠Paleo friendly ⢠Free range ⢠Humanly raised ⢠Local ⢠Low sodium ⢠Gluten free ⢠Grass fed ⢠Sugar free ⢠Good source of protein ⢠Dairy free ⢠Natural ⢠No nitrates The purpose of this narrative is not to debate the validity of these label claims. The point is label attributes that stand out today often started out as a niche market sold by small, health-oriented brands. Many of these brands were acquired by bigger processors, while a few still exist as independent businesses. Labels we may consider as trite and meaningless today may have staying power and the beef industry must remain in-tune with current trends. This is just one more reason why our Checkoff dollars for consumer research and education are so important to maintaining a future beef industry of which we can all be a part. The IBA social media campaigns continually use State and National Checkoff dollars to interact with consumers, dieticians and opinion influencers to promote beef âs place in a balanced diet.
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