The beef checkoff ‘s powerful nutritional messaging rang out loud and clear this past weekend in Cambridge and Boston, Mass., as the 48th annual Head of the Charles Regatta came to town. The beef checkoff, through a partnership between the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) and the South Dakota Beef Council, exhibited at the Harvard Boathouse Weld Expo located along the north side of the Charles River during the two days of the Regatta. The Head of the Charles Regatta is the largest two-day rowing event in the world and each year it attracts nearly 9,000 athletes and 300,000 spectators.
Two weeks leading up to the Regatta, Boston’s Classic Rock radio station 100.7 WZLX ran the checkoff-funded “Beef it’s What’s For Dinner” radio spot five times each weekday. The checkoff booth at the Weld Expo was a favorite for expo attendees as several interactive elements attracted them to stop by. Each day “I Heart Beef” t-shirts were given out to the first 50 attendees that posted why they loved to eat beef on their Facebook or Twitter account. Attendees also lined up to play the beef trivia spin wheel game to win some Wild Bills beef jerky. Over 3,000 samples of beef jerky were given out during the two-day event. Nutritional information, beef recipes and an “I Heart Beef” raffle basket were other draws for the attendees.
Penn State Collegiate Cattlewomen, Olivia Rush, sophomore in Animal Science and Jenessa Deeter, Junior in Animal Science assisted NEBPI staff at the event. After the event Rush commented, "I was encouraged to see that most people attending the Regatta, even vegetarians, were willing to participate in beef trivia and learn more about the animal ag industry. It was great to know that people walked away from the booth as better informed, more intelligent consumers." Deeter followed by saying, “With a large portion of the nation uninformed about animal agriculture and the benefits of having animal products in the diet, it was great to see people willing to educate themselves and walk away from our display having learned something.”
Photos of the event can be viewed here. For more information, contact Christie Brown at cbrown@pabeef.org.
For more information about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Source: The Beef Checkoff Program
