I'm a beef producer. I'm a native farm kid. I grew up eating beef that didn't come from the store, but the local locker. My mom is a great cook and I picked up a few of those culinary skills along the way.

You would think that I would understand beef cuts and how best to cook them. But I still struggle with buying and preparing beef.

If I have trouble, imagine what the average working mother thinks when planning her evening meal.

It's just easier for her to buy chicken.

But things change. And due to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this week, they will continue to change. When the high court ruled in favor of continuing the beef checkoff, most beef producers--including me--were relieved.

It is one of the few fees I'm happy to pay, mainly because I see the results of checkoff daily.

Now, in the grocery store meat case, you find color-coded stickers that say "Steaks for marinating," "Beef for stewing," or "Oven Roasts" just to name a few.

It's called the Beef Made Easy program and it's a product of the beef checkoff. Retailers can organize their meat case according to the color coding and consumers can make better decisions on what cut of beef to buy for which situation.

This can only mean beef will meet the consumer's expectations and ensures better consumer satisfaction.

Not long ago, I shared information on the Beef Made Easy program with some of my friends during a program for a women's group. All are young mothers and none are beef producers.

While I'm not an expert, I showed them a chart of beef cuts and explained the color-coded stickers.

The terms "chuck" and "round" meant little to them, they told me. It was the simple to understand words like "grill" and "stew" they understood.

This program is only one of many funded through the beef checkoff.

Checkoff funds have gone to profiling 39 primary muscles that comprise the round and chuck. Consequently, two new value cuts, the flat iron steak and petite shoulder tender, have been introduced and have successfully increased the value of the chuck and round.

Millions of Americans know that beef is what's for dinner. Chefs have participated in specialized beef culinary courses. Foreign cooks have learned about the quality of U.S. beef. Foodservice professionals have learned about food safety issues.

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is this--the more beef that is consumed, the more money goes into the pockets of cattle producers.

Certainly, everyone along the beef chain benefits, but it's cow-calf producers that benefit the most. For we are the only segment of the beef industry whose costs are not relative to the cattle market. What varies is the price we achieve when we sell that calf. If the beef checkoff can raise that market to a higher level through higher demand, it's worth every penny of the dollar we spend.

Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 1-800-452-7171 ext. 1806 or e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.

Date: 5/25/05

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