The National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. (NCBA), a contractor to the beef checkoff and manager of the "Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner" brand, had a major presence this week at the 2020 Annual Meat Conference in Nashville, Tenn. More than 1,500 attendees, including retailers, processors and packers, learned about the protein value of beef and how the beef industry’s Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program is helping improve consumer perceptions about high-quality U.S. beef and how it is raised.

The BQA program was introduced to consumers in the fall of 2019 with a campaign designed to educate the general public about how beef in the U.S. is responsibly raised as well as the farmers and ranchers committed to producing safe, high-quality beef. Retailers learned that today, thanks to the commitment of cattle farmers and ranchers, more than 85% of beef comes from BQA-certified farmers and ranchers.

“Consumers want to know how their food is raised, and market research shows that when consumers learn about BQA, their confidence in beef increases,” said Bridget Wasser, NCBA executive director of meat science and supply chain outreach. “By relaying that information to retailers, we can help educate and support them in achieving their bottom line and driving beef sales.”

To gain a better perspective on BQA and the farmers and ranchers behind it, attendees had the opportunity to talk to cattle ranchers Buck Weirbein and Kim Brackett.

Brackett, an Idaho-based cattle rancher and BQA advisory committee chair, was at the booth to talk about how she focuses on animal care, grazing practices, cattle genetics, wildlife habitat and soil health. The booth experience was designed to help better equip retailers to educate their customers and answer questions about how beef is safely and humanely raised and was part of the overall campaign to bring BQA to life for consumers, influencers, supply chain operators and the media.

“It was eye opening to attend this event and see this large group of processors, distributors and retailers experiencing many of the same challenges, opportunities and issues that beef producers face day in and day out.” said Weirbein, federation division chair at NCBA. “We truly are on the same team, and these folks are just as passionate about our product as we are. I have renewed outlook, and I look forward to sharing what I experienced at this conference with my board and fellow producers.”

In addition to getting an extensive look at BQA, attendees were presented with the latest research from a test-pilot program regarding labels. The research tested the effectiveness of featuring the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner logo and quick-response (QR) codes on non-branded packages of beef. Findings from this research included:

To further drive home the importance of educating and building confidence in consumers, attendees also got to see the results from market research highlighting the value beef adds to a shopping cart, confirming beef’s position as the most valuable protein. The research highlights showed:

“Attending the Annual Meat Conference was extremely valuable for our team as we work to educate and support retailers,” Wasser said. “We look forward to continuing to build these relationships and expanding the ways the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner brand can enhance the meat case experience and, in turn, drive beef sales.”