Bridging the Gap on Antibiotics
Nearly 200 key beef-industry stakeholders — representing academia,
government researchers, and the scientific community of animal agriculture,
human medicine and the environment — attended the third-annual national
antibiotics symposium. Funded in part by the checkoff, “Bridging the Gap
Between Animal Health and Human Health” provided a forum for dialogue
based on the science surrounding antibiotic use and resistance and included development
of solutions and educational materials for beef producers. A comprehensive white paper
summarizing the symposium was downloaded more than 27,000 times last year!
Supporting Veal Transparency, Quality
In 2014, the checkoff’s veal issues-management program was
responsible for monitoring and analyzing more than 190,000
traditional media sources and more than 300 million usergenerated social-media sources for veal news coverage. This
intelligence helped identify potential issues that could undermine
consumer confidence and trust in veal practices and products,
which were addressed with support from the checkoff’s
www.vealfarm.com. Also, a committee of veterinarians and veal
industry experts updated the checkoff’s Veal Quality Assurance
program to provide standards and resources for veal farmers to
meet their ethical obligation to the animals’ health and well-being.
Connecting Consumers with Farmers and Ranchers
The checkoff’s Masters of B eef Advocacy (MBA) program has
graduated more than 5,500 beef advocates in 48 states. In 2014,
one graduate welcomed 13 influential health professionals and
bloggers to his feedyard for a personal experience about how beef is
raised, which participants said positively changed their perceptions
about animal welfare, environmental stewardship and use of growth
hormones. Another MBA graduate participated in a panel discussion
at The New York Times’ “Food For Tomorrow” conference, amidst
critics of conventional agriculture including author Michael Pollan and
columnist Mark Bittman and drew huge applause with her plea to
include farmers and ranchers in food discussions.
Janna Stubbs
Alpine
TX
Richard Winter
Canyon
TX
Laurie Munns
Snowville
UT
Joe Guthrie
Dublin
VA
Hank Maxey, Jr.
Chatham
VA
Marty Andersen
New Glarus
WI
Lloyd DeRuyter
Cedar Grove
WI
Randy Geiger
Reedsville
WI
2014
Spencer Ellis
Lovell
WY
Beef Board Annual Report
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