United Through the Federation

The Federation of State Beef Councils represents the 43 Qualified State Beef Councils( QSBCs), and collectively, these QSBCs include more than 700 state board members encompassing every segment of the beef industry. The following report includes an overview of national programs developed by the National Cattlemen’ s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, which were supported by the Federation of State Beef Councils and extended by states locally.

The Federation of State Beef Councils builds a larger, more impactful, coordinated plan that is executed as a partnership between the Federation and individual state beef councils( SBCs). State beef councils voluntarily invest in the Federation each year. More than 50 % of the Federation’ s annual budget supplements tactics within Authorization Requests( ARs) approved by the Beef Promotion Operating Committee( BPOC) and executed by NCBA, home of the Federation of State Beef Councils. Supplementing these tactics helps the national Checkoff program have a larger impact on consumer demand.

In 2025, with input from SBC staff, the Federation Executive Committee approved more than $ 3.1 million to supplement national efforts. Specific programs made possible by SBC contributions to the Federation include, but are not limited to:

Promotion State Beef Councils Supplement: $ 898,600

• The Federation supports Beef. It ' s What’ s For Dinner. marketing and advertising efforts to educate and inspire consumers nationally. The Federation investment supplements media buys including cable television advertising and content partnerships focused on nutrition and wellness.

• Content is developed using trusted influencers and chefs and is used on BeefItsWhatsForDinner. com and across media channels to drive brand affinity, increase credibility and attract new consumers.

Research State Beef Councils Supplement: $ 1,048,036

Through the partnership of national funding and state investments in the Federation, and to specific projects, the foundation of research provides insights for other Checkoff programs and contractors as well as insights for industry action. Research projects funded include:

• Product Quality: Research is designed to improve beef quality, consistency, value and demand. One area of research is evaluating marbling variations and the consumer impact of steak color in retail displays and research evaluating technology to predict red meat yield better.

DIRECTIONS 2025

• Beef Safety: Research focuses on cattle-borne pathogens impacting food safety and foreign object detection and reduction in cattle that will be harvested for beef.

• Human Nutrition: Beef farmers and ranchers continue to support nutrition research to advance the understanding of beef’ s role in a healthy diet. One example is research evaluating beef consumption with consumers of all ages from children to adolescents to aging adults and health outcomes like cognitive health, strength or disease prevention.

• Sustainability: Research contributes to the scientific data showing beef can contribute to all three pillars of sustainability( economic, environmental and social). Example projects address the environmental and economic benefits of grazing, evaluate cattle welfare during transport to improve social sustainability factors, and quantify the socio-economic impact of product loss from foreign material.

• Market Research: By monitoring consumer purchasing behaviors, and what drives and limits beef demand, these insights better inform national and state Checkoff marketing programs to consumers. Additionally, message and asset testing validate the most effective ways to communicate with consumers through Beef. It’ s What’ s For Dinner. properties and through media for proactive and issues response.

Consumer Information State Beef Councils Supplement: $ 787,000

• The Federation advances consumer information efforts including thought leader engagement; nutrition, health and medical expert outreach; and public relations, including the development and distribution of“ Cattle Calling” documentary episodes, and other educational content.

• Examples include supporting states by placing speakers at annual dietetics meetings through the Nutrition Seminar Program; sending beef toolkits to physicians and health professionals; creating content partnerships with foodfocused digital media outlets that utilize influencers; and pitching beef stories to national media.

Industry Information State Beef Councils Supplement: $ 394,000

• Providing information and resources to the industry remains a critical component of the Federation budget, with funding elevating the Trailblazers advocacy program and supporting the Beef Quality Assurance program with training, advertising and updating materials.

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