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The Beef Checkoff got high marks from another member of the dairy industry this week. Richard Silacci, who manages the dairy farm at Cal Poly, spoke in Wednesday’s “Beef Board Update” and discussed the emphasis on quality and how it applies to farmers.

 

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He said the checkoff provides education to the public regarding dairy cows and how they are managed.

“A lot of the news that consumers are seeing is usually negative and that winds up on television and radio,” Silacci said, “And with the check off dollars we see positive publicity.” Information as to what really goes on, on the farm is made known, he said, “and the good things we do that insure beef quality.”

The check off also educates farmers and that’s what is taught to student s at Cal Poly, according to Silacci. The farm milks about 170 cows of two breeds, Silacci said, and they teach students that, when giving vaccinations or injections, certain sites on the cow are better than others to improve the quality of the beef when the cow goes to the slaughter house and, in turn, is sold to consumers.

Students are also taught the opportune time to cull a cow, he said, so they don’t let a cow get to the point where she is “unhealthy looking and skinny.”

Sixty percent of U.S. schools have enrolled in the “Fuel Up to Play 60” campaign and Pennsylvania dairy producer and vice chair of the National Dairy Board, Paula Meabon talked about it in Monday’s “DMI Update. The campaign got some extra press at a January 15 news conference which announced the partnership of the USDA, National Dairy Council, and the National Football League.

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The Dairy Beef Quality Assurance program (DBQA) is a valuable part of a dairy’s bottom line, according to Alan Frederick, Pennsylvania dairy farmer and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Beef Council. Speaking in Wednesday’s broadcast, Frederick said the program made him more aware of when cattle should be marketed if they can’t be rehabilitated and returned to the herd. It also taught him how the placement of injection sites can ruin a piece of meat.

 

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“That gristle is basically there forever,” he said, and costs dairymen money whenever a dairy cow goes through the sale barn because “buyers have a pretty good idea that, that cow may have injection sites in places that are going to ruin the meat and therefore they’re not going to pay as much for it.”

He encourages all dairy producers to participate in the DBQA and can’t understand why they don’t “jump in with both feet because, even if you don’t care about anything other than just putting money in your pocket, that’s reason enough.” He adds that it’s not hard and “it’s the right thing to do.”

He talked about the various videos that show cattle going through sale barns that are total emaciated and “We should not ever wait that long to send a cow to the sale barn. It doesn’t advertise well for us (farmers), it costs us money if a cow is in that bad a shape, she should have been removed from the herd a month before she got clear down to nothing but skin and bones or was so lame that she could hardly walk. They’re not making you any money trying to milk them during that period of time so why not get rid of them when they have some salvage value to them.” “The public seeing that kind of stuff go through the sale barns can’t advertise meat very well.”

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The Beef Check off-funded Beef Quality Assurance program benefits dairy producers as well, according to Michigan dairy producer and Beef Board member Ken Nobis. Speaking in Wednesday’s DairyLine.

 

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Nobis said “Our primary concern is quality milk but dairy producers have significant sales of beef and we want to see those sales continue to be strong and anything to increase consumption helps that part of our dairy operation.”

Dairy farmers are in tune with quality assurance because of the milk issue, Nobis said, and “We just transfer that type of activity to the Beef Quality Assurance. He said he educates himself and his employees on injection sites and treatment of the animals, “It all runs together and we think it’s all very helpful to increase the profitability of our dairy farm.” The Beef Check off is “another piece of the puzzle that helps the dairy farmer,” according to Nobis.

Nobis is questioned from time to time by consumers. Animal care has come to the forefront the last year and a half, ever since the downer cow issue in California and his coop is asked if its members have protocols established to treat animals.

Michigan had a threat in the form of a ballot initiative driven by the Humane Society and he was involved in dealing with that issue in the first part of 2009 to help formulate state legislation to preempt the ballot initiative. That broke down, he admitted, but the issue was primarily aimed at the egg and pork industry.

The issues have been raised in dairy as well, he concluded, and “We get questions now from the people we sell our milk to at the coop regarding quality assurance and we look forward to establishing an animal care issue with our coop here in Michigan.”

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The internet has become a wonderful way of informing the public of various issues but it can also be used to disseminate false information and James Hunt, director of communications for the Texas Cattle Feeders, discussed a prime example of that in Wednesday’s DairyLine broadcast.

He discussed a rumor that has been circulating among e-mails for about seven years regarding unsafe beef and McDonalds.

 

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Hunt stated up front that this is not a rumor but is a “hoax.” He said the e-mail alleges criticism of McDonalds by the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, something that was never done, he said, and “We’re just hopeful that some day it will end.”

“U.S. beef is safe,” Hunt affirmed, “It’s wholesome, it’s nutritious, and there are abundant safeguards in place to make sure that is so.” He said there’s a variety of ways to communicate that to consumers and the Beef Checkoff is one of them.

Anyone in the business of selling beef has a responsibility to do so, according to Hunt, including dairy and beef farmers. The beef check off provides opportunities for producers to do that, he said, and “get educated on all of the information that supports the fact that U.S. beef and beef sold in the U.S. is wholesome, safe, and nutritious.”

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Dairy farmers have always been “animal welfarists,” according to Shelly Mayer of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.

 

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Mayer talked about it in Wednesday’s Beef Board Update and said “Animal welfare and how we care for our animals has always been the center of what we do on each of our dairy farms.

She said now is the time to stand up proudly and share with customers and consumers how well we are doing as far as taking care of our animals. She added that producers are not in the business unless they first enjoy working with the animals. “That’s what the dairy industry is all about, before we make a pound of milk we all know we have to take care of that cow so that she ultimately takes care of us an our family,” Mayer said.

The beef and dairy checkoff programs help give the consumer a look into our farms and “therefore they can see how milk is made and how meat is grown and what we’re doing on our farms everyday.”

“Animal welfare and animal well being is not a new way of thinking for the dairy industry, all of us have been thinking about this for a long time,” she said. Now, more consumers are curious about where there food is coming from and are asking questions about how animals are cared for, which according to Mayer, is a great opportunity to share how we really get the milk from the cow to the consumer table.

“So it’s a great opportunity to share all the care, all the work, all the science, all the understanding that goes into taking care of those cows.”

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California dairy producer Brad Scott says the Beef Check off has been “very beneficial” to dairy producers because it’s “marketing our products.”

 

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Speaking in Wednesday’s DairyLine, Scott said dairymen need to remember that they are not only dairy producers but they are also meat producers because their animals go to market and end up in the food chain as meat products.

The beef check off provides education, research, and promotion and dairy producers do have opportunity to have their voices heard as to how their dollars are spent in promoting beef consumption, which in turn contributes to their bottom line.

Scott believes that he sees a return on his investment, pointing out that the dollar he spends on the check off does things that he himself can’t do himself in getting the message out to consumers about the quality product that farmers produce.

Scott also gave high marks to the staff of the beef check off and is glad that dairy farmers have seats on the beef board to insure that the money dairy farmers invest is used in areas they deem important.

When asked what suggestions he would make to the Beef Board, Scott answered, “Keep doing what you’re doing.” “They’re continually educating the public that what we produce is a wholesome, quality, nutritious product and that farmers take good care of their animals so that, when they do reach the market, they are of a good quality for the consumer.”

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Cody, Wyoming dairy producer Scott George hosts farm tours for local youth and talked about the reasons why in DairyLine’s “Beef Checkoff Update” Wednesday.

 

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He said it’s important to communicate to all consumers so they understand where their food comes from. He said he wants them to know that they take good care of their animals and they teach visitors that cattle are great recyclers in that they eat food and products that otherwise would end up in a landfill.

They also inform their visitors that a single three-ounce serving of beef will give them 51 percent of the protein they need each day and 38 percent of the zinc they need. Zinc aids in good memory and a good immune system, according to George.

That serving of beef also provides 14 percent of the iron one needs each day which helps fight anemia, and it provides the B complex vitamins and minerals that children need.

“That simple little three ounce serving, which is less than a quarter-pounder hamburger, only has 179 calories,” George said, “And yet it’s packed full of nutrients and this is the message we take to children and their parents so they understand the importance of animal protein in their daily diet.”

George also believes the beef check off is a wise investment even as a dairy farmer. “Ultimately our animals end up in this food stream,” he concluded, “And if we can’t keep our consumers consuming this product, we’re going to lose a very valuable revenue stream.”

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Dairy producers can find extra income from a program provided by the beef checkoff’s Beef Quality Assurance program. One such producer is Phoebe Bitler, a Pennsylvania dairy producer and Pennsylvania Beef Council member.

 

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Referred to as a Market Cow and Bull Audit, Bitler reported in Wednesday’s DairyLine that the program looks at what the animals are going through. The team examines what kind of issues need to be addressed on each farm and the survey is conducted about every four years, she said, “So they have a track record to look at the animals that were coming in four years ago and see what we as producers have improved on and or we what need to continue to address.”

Injection location is one of the issues looked at, she said, and she reported that their last audit showed their dairy was experiencing some issues with lameness and body condition so that was addressed and she said that came about more by accident as they do not sell directly to a processor but go through an auction.

A checked received on a cow with really good body condition, termed a “white cow,” resulted in considerably more money, according to Bitler, so they’ve decided to “recondition” a number of their animals, removing them from the milking string and the daily stress that entails and, if it’s done a number of days before sending the cows to slaughter, they receive a higher price because of it. That adds to the bottom line, she concluded, 5, 10, or 15 cents more per pound.

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Wednesday’s DairyLine listeners heard the testimony of New York dairy and beef producer, Glen Taylor who recently completed the beef check off’s on line “Masters of Beef Advocacy” program. Taylor said the program equipped him to confidently speak with consumers about the beef industry and the things that are important to it.

 

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Being able to present this message is becoming more and more important, according to Taylor, who will be using his skills at an upcoming local consumer food group that has invited him and others to talk about how beef producers operate and look out for consumers in their production efforts.

Two key issues that Taylor sees as important are animal husbandry, which addresses consumer concerns over animal welfare, and environmental stewardship, which addresses care for the land. Without taking that course, Taylor said farmers don’t give them much thought because they are day to day activities that farmers do naturally and almost “take for granted,” but do practice them “as best we can.” It’s important to let consumers know this, he concluded.

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The Beef Checkoff program is a good investment for beef and dairy producers. Texas dairy producer Don Smith gives us some of the reasons in this podcast.

 

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