As the Federation of State Beef Councils celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, let’s step back in time and look at successful projects that have created a strong state/national partnership through the decades. 

Research continued to be the foundation for Federation-funded programs, and nutrition research especially helped drive the beef narrative during the decade. The Checkoff-funded Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study provided evidence that the inclusion of lean beef as part of a heart-healthy diet is as effective in lowering heart disease risk as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Enthusiastic states joined national efforts to roll out the results, which suggested that lean beef improves cholesterol levels, even when eaten daily as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. 

Digital advertising came of age in the 2010s with consumers “liking,” “tweeting” and “pinning” beef. To reach consumers where they were finding information and making buying decisions, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. advertising transitioned to promoting beef through social media platforms, as well as through online audio and video advertisements. Another shift was the consolidation of several beef-related websites into a convenient www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com website to better connect consumers with producers. 

The Beef Store opened for business in 2010 giving state beef councils, retailers, foodservice professionals, teachers and health educators the opportunity to order Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. materials day or night. In 2013, Beef Checkoff-funded recipe development and product enhancement got a boost when the Culinary Innovation Center received an expansion, providing an updated facility where a team of culinary professionals created recipes highlighting the best ways to utilize beef. 

A new “Nicely done, beef.” slogan differentiated beef from other protein options by highlighting beef’s taste and nutrition. Creative campaign assets were used extensively by state beef councils, going as far as to promote a cowboy ninja. In 2018, Idaho cattle producer and American Ninja Warrior, Lance Pekus, became a brand ambassador for beef, sharing how beef’s nutrients played a role in his strength training. Pekus was a natural draw for state beef councils as well and their local extension resulted in more consumers reached through social media. 

The decade ended with the introduction of Chuck Knows Beef, powered by Google Artificial Intelligence. Chuck Knows Beef guided consumers to all things beef – recipes, cooking tips, cut information, production background – helping source its customized responses from content found on the BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com website. With a simple voice command to Google and Alexa devices, consumers could access everything they wanted to know about selecting and preparing beef. 

For more information about the Federation of State Beef Councils, visit www.ncba.org/federation. Next month, we catch up with current events as the Federation’s journey through the decades wraps up.