Bedford, PA – The Beef Checkoff was a sponsor at this year’s New Balance Falmouth Road Race, held August 18th in Falmouth, MA, thanks to a partnership between the national beef checkoff and the South Dakota Beef Industry Council. Twelve Team Beef members, started in Woods Hole, Mass., and ran along the beautiful coast of Cape Cod into Falmouth Heights with more than 12,000 other runners from the surrounding New England region and international areas.
Beef checkoff staff and producer volunteers participated in the annual Falmouth Road Race Health & Fitness Expo leading up to the race. The expo brought the positive beef story to approximately 75,000 attendees – both runners and their families. Attendees were invited to participate in a variety of activities at the beef checkoff booth. Participants enjoyed beef jerky trail mix sample, as well as learning about beef’s versatility and value as part of an athlete’s diet and lifestyle.
Pennsylvania Beef Council Director and beef producer, Duff George commented, “As a PA Beef Council Director and beef producer, I appreciated the opportunity to support the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative at the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts. I was pleased to hear many positive comments from the runners about beef. I would encourage other Directors and beef producers to volunteer at future promotional events. We need to tell the beef story and share with our consumers how we raise our beef cattle. The Northeast staff were very organized and worked hard to make this major beef promotion event a success.”
While visiting the beef booth, consumers had the chance to enter to win a summer grilling prize pack by participating in an educational survey. Of those polled, 74.7 percent of survey entrants had a favorable opinion of beef.
Events like the New Balance Falmouth Road Race allow the checkoff to engage directly with consumers, including athletes, to highlight beef’s taste and nutritional benefits as well as cooking techniques. Checkoff-funded research in the Northeast shows that nutrition-focused efforts are making a difference with the Northeast’s metropolitan consumers. Messaging related to beef’s protein, lean cuts and essential nutrients appear to be reaching, and favorably influencing, consumers. Interacting face-to-face with our consumers is vital in getting their concerns and questions addressed.
For event photos visit the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages. This event was made possible by the checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, as well as funding support from the South Dakota Beef Industry Council. For more information, visit NortheastBeef.org and BeefBoard.org.
Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.
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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.
