In keeping with tradition, Penn State students in the College of Agricultural
Sciences once again joined forces to put on a showing of their support for
animal agriculture. This year marked the 4th anniversary of Meat-In Day, an
event originally started by Penn State Alumnus and former National Beef
Ambassador Chris Molinaro (the National Beef Ambassador Team is funded in part
by the beef checkoff).
On March 18, approximately 175 students from the College of Agriculture Sciences
donned two different t-shirts to show their support around campus. And, members
of four major college student organizations came to help with the event that was
established as a proactive response to the Great American Meatout Day, which
celebrated its 25th anniversary.
More than 1,700 pieces of beef jerky were handed out at the student union
building as well as in the dinning commons area. The jerky was accompanied by
educational flyers about the health benefits of beef.
Students enthusiastically took pictures with the ever-popular Patty Melt, says
Allison Bardella, National Beef Ambassador Team member from Pennsylvania. The
students really enjoyed learning about what beef producers do on a daily basis
to take their food from the pasture to plate.
The National Beef Ambassador Program continues to provide an opportunity for
youth to educate consumers and students about beef nutrition, food safety and
stewardship practices of the beef industry through activities such as the
Meat-In Day.
For more information about the Beef Ambassador Team, visit
NationalBeefAmbassador.org. For more information about your 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 Cattlemens Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the
national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Source:
The Beef Checkoff Program
