As if the Beef Checkoff doesn’t have enough websites, now there’s one more. I’m really not sure I understand the philosophy behind the whole multiple website strategy. This one focuses on research. You can find a lead-in site to all of them at Beef.org (16 just for the Checkoff).

The topic of research may sound a little academic, yet it has been the cornerstone of nearly every decision that impacts the beef industry. Without research, there wouldn’t be a Flat Iron Steak, or monumental improvements in beef safety or even the unforgettable ad tagline, “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.” A new Web site, www.beefresearch.org, showcases checkoff-funded research in fact sheets and summaries, graphics, extensive resource listings, related Web sites, staff contacts and even glossaries of terms. The site is basically reader-friendly, presenting facts and findings in layman’s terms.

Research presented on the site was managed by the checkoff-funded Center for Research & Knowledge Management (R&KM) at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in four priority areas: human nutrition, beef safety, market research and product enhancement. Much of the information on the Web site, ranging from ethanol byproducts to anti-carcinogenic activity in beef, has stemmed from cooperative research efforts at some of the country’s leading university agricultural and meat-science programs.