Beef Promotion, Research, and Education Brings Texans to the Table

A Letter From Your Chairman, Fred Schuetze

As beef producers, it’s easy to get entrenched in our operations. I myself am guilty of getting lost in the constant worries of economics, input costs and other factors outside our control. But we have to let ourselves back up and see the big picture – especially when it comes to our industry’s collective efforts to keep beef top of mind for consumers.

I’ve been involved in the cattle industry all my life, as a Simmental producer, a county extension agent and representing Texas on the Federation of State Beef Councils. My latest endeavor has been taking the helm as chairman of the Texas Beef Council (TBC), which represents beef producers across this great state and supports, educates, and inspires people to gather around the table over a shared love of beef. As a native Texan, I am very proud of this state’s beef industry and all the work that our TBC staff and directors do to ensure it continues to grow and thrive. 

TBC recently published its FY23 Annual Report, “Bringing More Texans To The Table.” That’s exactly what TBC does every day through a wide variety of programs and initiatives designed to make beef the protein of choice. I think many of my fellow Texas producers would be surprised to know how much strategy, creativity and old-fashioned hard work TBC puts into their programs. Reading the report is the best way to get a clear snapshot of how Beef Checkoff dollars are being put to work on our behalf. 

All Beef Checkoff programs are grounded in research, which, from my perspective, is our best tool for building consumer confidence in our product. We live in a time where people use data more than ever to make decisions. TBC uses consumer insights to understand our Texan audience – what drives them, where they choose to get information and why they make certain purchases. Nutrition research also allows the Medical Office Outreach program to share about beef’s role in healthy diets and reach 4,100 health professionals in FY23.

In the report, we share how TBC and our Beef Loving Texans brand found new, innovative ways to inspire more beef meals. Entertaining beef content and advertising reached consumers 203 million times. We even crowned the Ultimate Beef Loving Texan through an online contest and video series, garnering nearly a million video views with more than 180 hours watched.

You’ll also discover the many ways TBC keeps in touch with producers, including meetings across Texas and the Cattle Talk newsletter. Because a strong state and national partnership is vital to the Beef Checkoff’s success, you’ll also see examples of national efforts that are keeping beef top of mind both domestically and globally.

Over the years I’ve learned that staying involved with programs like the Beef Checkoff helps build knowledge and an understanding of that “bigger picture.” Involvement can mean something different for everyone and does not require serving on a board. It could mean reading TBC’s Annual Report, or keeping it on your desk or dash to glance at from time and make notes on. I believe that if producers stay current on what their Beef Checkoff dollars are doing, they can understand the impact it makes for our industry.

As we move into 2024, I’m thankful for the hard work of the Beef Checkoff and excited for what’s to come. Visit TexasBeefCheckoff.com/Annual-Reports to dive into the FY23 Annual Report and see how our Beef Checkoff dollars are being invested to keep beef in its strongest state.