CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Beef Promotion Operating Committee is recommending a 2015 budget of about $39 million. The budget is subject to approval by the US Department of Agriculture following a review by the full Cattlemen's Beef Board.

The Operating Committee approved checkoff funding for a total of 18 proposals for funding in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The committee also recommended the full CBB approval of a budget amendment to reflect the split of funding between budget categories affected by their decisions.


The 2015 Plan of Work includes:

• $8 million for promotion programs;
• $9.7 million for research programs;
• $10.4 million for consumer information programs;
• $1.7 million for industry information programs;
• $7.7 million for foreign marketing and education in some 80 countries; and
• $1.5 million for producer communications.

Eight national beef organizations submitted proposals for funding:

• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (nine proposals for $27.8 million)
• US Meat Export Federation (one proposal for $7.7 million)
• Cattlemen’s Beef Board (one proposal for $1.5 million)
• North American Meat Association (three proposals for $1.1 million)
• American National CattleWomen (one proposal for $371,000)
• Meat Import Council of America (one proposal for $350,800)
• American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (one proposal for $222,500)
• National Livestock Producers Association (one proposal for $45,000)

"As both a producer and a checkoff leader, it’s rewarding to see the tremendous efforts that go into responsible investment of producers’ and importers’ hard-earned dollars into solid checkoff programs that produce results,” said Kim Brackett, Beef Board and Operating Committee Chairman and cattle producer from Idaho. “I am truly excited about the opportunities that we have before us as an industry and so pleased that we have our checkoff to take those on.”