The Federation of State Beef Councils, is a division of National Cattlemen?s Beef Association. It is comprised of the 42 state beef councils, many of which voluntarily invest a portion of the 50 cents of each checkoff dollar they control in national and international programs.
Earlier this month Steve Hanson, a beef producer from Elsie, Nebraska, completed his one-year term as chairman of the Federation of State Beef Councils.
Hanson says there have been many changes since he began volunteering in beef demand-building programs many years ago. “When I first got onto the operating committee we were advertising in print, and you would hear those famous voice on TV and radio, Hanson says. “Now, with the dollars the way they are we can’t afford that kind of advertising. We went to strictly digital to reach the millennial. The millennial has really has the most opportunistic target right now.?
Hanson says he has become a big proponent of using new strategies to reach today?s beef consumers. “We’re working digitally with all the social accounts like Facebook and twitter. We hope to move things forward and make the digital world the real world where we can sell our meat and have people buy it.?
Hanson says the Federation benefits from the differences among its state beef councils.
Among the things Hanson has learned through his service to the Beef Checkoff Program has been understanding how the Federation interacts with various organizations, including the Cattlemen?s Beef Board. “There is more than one way to do things. There is a lot of different ideas out there in this world on how to drive demand, and we need to be open to all of them, Hanson says.?
