051212 Study Aims to Improve Image of Beef Producers

Pierre, SD - Consumers are more likely to buy beef if they have a positive image of beef producers in the environmental arena. That is the concept behind the South Dakota Beef Industry Council approving the use of beef checkoff dollars to help fund a research project under way at South Dakota State University, according to a Beef Industry Council news release.

The project was one of many considered during the SDBIC’s quarterly meeting Nov. 21 in Pierre.

The basis of the research stems from new state and federal environmental guidelines requiring livestock producers to use phosphorus as the limiting factor when developing and implementing nutrient management plans. These plans must be followed when applying manure on fields or pastures.

Phosphorus is a nutrient present in several types of fertilizer, including manure. The SDSU research is analyzing the varying soil types across the state, determining how phosphorus interacts with the soils.

“This research will provide information to help livestock producers better follow the environmental guidelines,” Ed Blair, chairman of the SDBIC Research Committee, said. The committee recommended that the council approve funds for specific portions of the research that could tie in with consumer attitudes toward beef.

Blair said the SDBIC will fund as much as $5,000 to help design and print brochures and educational materials that will share the environmental information with the public. “When consumers understand that our state’s beef producers go the extra mile to be environmentally friendly, it reflects on the product we produce,” Blair said. “That should reflect on demand.”

Other projects approved by the SDBIC include financial support for SDSU meat judging teams, a beef tenderness evaluation through the Calf Value Discovery program, support for the Beef 20/20 seminar and comparison of three types of beef feedlot facilities and their effect on meat quality.

The South Dakota Beef Industry Council collects the $1 checkoff in South Dakota and can retain as much as 50 cents for state promotion, research or educational programs that fit within the parameters of the Beef Promotion and Research Act and Order. SDBIC forwards remaining funds to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board to be used for national programs.

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