Beef Checkoff Program Builds Demand and Adds Value for Cattle Producers
The beef checkoff program works every day on behalf of cattle producers to strengthen beef demand, grow markets, and increase the value of every animal. Through research, promotion, and market development, the program ensures that producer dollars are invested strategically and responsibly to benefit the entire beef industry.
To better understand how the program operates, we spoke with Cheryl Devuyst, Vice Chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, who emphasized that transparency and producer oversight are central to the checkoff process. As Devuyst explained, “One thing that I think is really important to understand first of all is how the checkoff works, because when that dollar is invested, people sometimes have the misconception that a big check is just written to a contractor.”
Instead, the beef checkoff follows a structured, producer-driven process. Devuyst noted, “It doesn’t happen that way. They bring what I like to call proposals, but they’re authorization requests, in front of a board, an operating committee that is made up of producers.” This ensures that the investment decisions are made by cattle producers themselves, keeping control of checkoff dollars firmly in producer hands.
Contractors approved for projects operate under a cost-recovery system rather than receiving upfront funding. “So it’s producers making decisions about producer dollars, and then those contractors have a commitment that we will invest up to a certain amount in their project, but they need to do the work, and it’s on a cost recovery system,” Devuyst said. After the work is completed, expenses are reviewed by financial staff and reimbursed accordingly.
One example of how the beef checkoff builds value is through international market development with partners like the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Devuyst highlighted the importance of understanding global consumer preferences. “We have to understand that most of what we eat in the U.S., besides loving ground beef, we also are a big consumer of steaks.” However, beef demand looks different in other parts of the world.
In regions where nutrition needs differ, innovative approaches can expand beef consumption and utilization. Devuyst shared an example from South America, saying, “Well, across the world, they may be in an iron-deficient area. So those people in Peru, for instance, our USMEF colleagues created something called the liver burger.” While unfamiliar to many U.S. consumers, products like this help increase carcass value.
As Devuyst put it, “I’m glad that liver is being used to increase the value of every animal that I produce, every animal that other producers across the country produce to increase their bottom line.” Through smart investments and global demand-building, the beef checkoff program continues to deliver value for cattle producers nationwide.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.