SDBIC officers and national director elected for 2007 are, from left to right: Roger Gerdes, president; Becky Walth , national director; Bob Fortune, vice president; Berwyn Bain, treasurer.

Beef Council Passes $3.5 Million-Budget

BROOKINGS (October 13, 2006)—The South Dakota Beef Producers Industry Council (SDBIC) passed a $3.5 million-budget at the organization’s annual meeting October 7.

            Income from the $1-per-head Beef Checkoff in South Dakota is designated for a variety of promotion, research and education programs, in addition to administration of the checkoff program in South Dakota . Programs are focused on improving the marketing climate for beef. The meeting was held on the South Dakota State University (SDSU) campus as part of SDSU’s 40^th Annual Beef Bowl activities.

            Promotion programs funded for the 2006-07 fiscal year include two major projects. For the first time, the South Dakota Beef Checkoff will be a prime sponsor of South Dakota high school sports programming on South Dakota Public Broadcasting. These will include football and other winter sports’ championships. In addition, the SDBIC will produce and run a major holiday beef roast advertising campaign on television, radio and in print prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas 2006.

            Nine projects will be funded through the SDBIC’s Research Committee. Those projects include: an investigation of whether dietary protein levels during cattle feeding have an impact on beef quality; the impact on beef quality when cattle are fed feeds with a high unsaturated to saturated fat ratio; and research to study the effect of “aging” on meat optical properties, which could aid in development of optical technology to predict beef tenderness.

            Checkoff dollars will continue to fund a variety of other programs including Ag Ventures, which brings agricultural information into second and third-grade classrooms across the state, and to working with the state’s retailers on promotion of beef products.

            During the meeting, directors re-elected the Council’s three officers and one national director for another one-year term. Elected were: Roger Gerdes, Miller, president; Bob Fortune, Belvidere , vice president; Berwyn Bain, Frederick, treasurer; and Becky Walth , Glenham, national director.

            Beef producers also honored a business and three individuals. Neal Ruhd, Clear Lake , S.D. beef producer, was named the 2006 Individual Prime Promoter for his work through his local cattlemen’s association in promoting beef. The Tailgate Restaurant in Huron, owned by Tom and Tammy Myers, was named 2006 Business Prime Promoter for the amount and quality of beef served to customers each year.

            Amanda Nolz was given a Distinguished Service Award for her time and dedication in her roles as South Dakota Beef Ambassador and National Beef Ambassador. Governor Mike Rounds received a Friend of South Dakota Beef Award. Governor Rounds was recognized for his vision in implementing the South Dakota Certified™ Beef Program.

            The SDBIC collects and administers the beef checkoff on cattle sold in South Dakota . Checkoff dollars are utilized strictly for promotion, education or research programs. At least 50 cents of every dollar is directed to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board for programs on the national level. The SDBIC can retain up to 50 cents, which it can invest in additional national programs or in-state programs.

            The SDBIC is comprised of three representatives from eight agricultural organizations: SD Beef Breeds Council, SD Cattlemen’s Association, SD Cattlemen’s Auxiliary, SD CattleWomen, SD Farm Bureau Federation, SD Farmers Union, SD Livestock Market Association, and SD Stockgrowers Association.