Bedford – The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) has garnered a great working relationship with our School Nutrition Association of PA (SNAPa.) SNAPa is the statewide organization of school nutrition professionals committed to advancing the quality of child nutrition programs through education and advocacy. As the premier association for all school professionals in PA, the group currently represents approximately 2,300 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students throughout PA.
The Beef Checkoff has worked to share beef’s nutritional profile as well the people behind beef to help bridge the information gap from farm to cafeteria tray. We had the pleasure of working with one of the regional chapter groups spanning across Lancaster County to take our relationship one step further. We accomplished this by getting some of these key decision and meal makers who serve students daily on the farm.
The farm tour event took place Thursday, October 25, and attracted an audience of approximately 100+ attendees encompassing a total of sixteen school districts. The event itself included a farm tour, dinner and open forum panel discussion. The group had the pleasure of beefing up their knowledge of beef by taking school buses to the Nissley Bros. Feedlot located in Mount Joy, PA. The farm tour allowed attendees to see first-hand how both science and efficiency plays into the role of a feedlot and how these cattle were cared for daily to ensure a safe, nutritious and delicious beef product.
Kelly R Price, RD, LDN – Food Service Director, Donegal School District, serves as the chapter president and her school alone includes seven schools and serves 3000 students daily. Kelly commented, “The PA Beef Council went above and beyond expectations to “open the doors” to the beef community. Our ladies were fascinated with all the facts, love, and care that went into the animals. You could see and feel the passion the farmers had for their trade. Thank you for a wonderful evening.”
This beef immersion event was made possible by the PBC with funding support from the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative. Post tour results revealed a 99% positive opinion of beef, which was a 6% increase from surveys given prior to the tour to gain attendee’s previous perception of beef. The Beef Checkoff continues to find value in farm tours such as this. We are grateful for the opportunity for influencers to meet those that work hard with a veterinarian and nutritionist by their side, to raise beef cattle that are cared for with ultimate respect and will result in a solid protein to nourish many.
To learn more about the Pennsylvania Beef Council, visit www.pabeef.org.
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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 may 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.
Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.
Source: The Beef Checkoff Program
