Beef: A Capitol Idea

South Dakota Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard (left), SDBIC President Roger Gerdes of Miller, S.D., and American National CattleWomen President Nancy Stirling Neuhauser of Midland, S.D., took time during Beef Day at the Legislature to talk about the state’s beef industry.

PIERRE—(March 3, 2006) Session-weary legislators were treated to a beef break February 27 when the first official Beef Day at the Legislature took center stage in the Capitol rotunda.

The South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC) was one of several organizations or agencies providing beef delicacies while delivering the message that beef is a major player in the state’s economy—bringing in $1.7 billion in cash receipts to the state’s farmers and ranchers—making it the number one agricultural commodity.

Beef Day also provided an excellent opportunity, says SDBIC President Roger Gerdes, to tout the quality of beef raised in the state. “It’s critical that our legislators understand that South Dakota producers are delivering a product that meets the needs of today’s nutrition-conscious consumers.”

Proof was in the tasting, with a large number of legislators trying everything from beef chili made from a recipe in the new beef checkoff-funded Healthy Beef Cookbook, to meatballs, corn beef spread, beef fudge, barbecue beef muffins, and beef jerky and beef sticks. Consumers can find the Healthy Beef Cookbook at bookstores or by calling the South Dakota Beef Industry Council office in Pierre at 605-224-4722.

“Quite a few legislators took time to come down, sample some excellent beef dishes and visit with the various organizations about our mission,” explains Gerdes.

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), in collaboration with the South Dakota CattleWomen’s Association, sponsored the event. Both the GOED and the S.D. Department of Agriculture were on hand to update legislators on Governor Rounds’ South Dakota Certified Beef ™ program. Initiated in 2005, South Dakota Certified Beef provides the state’s cattle producers a means to add value to their product by following a verification protocol in order to qualify for the branded program.

“We were extremely pleased with the turnout at our first Beef Day at the Legislature, says Jafar Karim, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “By bringing all of these groups together, we were able to showcase what the South Dakota beef industry has to offer the consumer. We look forward to more opportunities like this in the future.”

Other organizations participating included the Value Added Agriculture Center, South Dakota State University, South Dakota Beef Bucks, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association and the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.

The SDBIC is comprised of representatives from eight agricultural organizations who are responsible for not only collecting the beef checkoff in South Dakota , but distributing those funds which can only be used for promotional, educational or research programs. At least 50 cents of every dollar is sent to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB) for national programs, while the other half can be utilized for in-state programs.