Checkoff Issues Research Annual Update

Jan 27, 2012

The beef checkoff’s Research, Education and Innovation (REI) program manages safety, human nutrition and product enhancement research that provides technology and knowledge to all sectors of the beef supply chain to increase understanding of beef products offered to today's consumer.

In the end, all development, education and communications programs are founded on research. Marketing and communication programs must have a story worth telling. In today’s social climate, to answer challenges from the health community and the consumer’s need for convenience, marketing and communications messages must be data-driven, based on irrefutable research.

To read more about what the checkoff’s REI program accomplished in the past year, read the Research, Education and Innovation Annual Update released January 2012.

To learn more about your checkoff investment in research programs, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.

Source: Cattleman's Beef Board

Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!