Last October, a new checkoff-funded program was released called Master of Beef Advocacy (MBA). The program consists of six, 1-hour core courses for the 2009 fiscal year: beef safety, beef nutrition, animal care, environmental stewardship, modern beef production and the beef checkoff. This self-guided, online program is a way to equip producers with the tools needed to represent the beef industry with consumers and the media.

I recently spoke with MBA contact person Daren Williams about the success of the program, and he says that MBA is off to a great start! To date, 250 individuals have applied to participate in the program. Participants are moving quickly through the courses, and the program continues to grow. Daren also asked why my name was missing from the participant list, and I told him I had to pass my final semester of classes at SDSU before I started tackling my Master of Beef Advocacy degree.

I think this program is an excellent marketing strategy on a grassroots level. Cattle producers will improve their ability to communicate their knowledge in this industry to those that need to hear it most. This is in an outstanding way to start spreading a positive message about food production and animal agriculture. I think this is a good case study to observe, and this concept could be used in other ways in this industry. As for now, I better get to studying. Graduation is only a couple months away, and I’m excited to start my Master of Beef Advocacy course!

To learn more about the Master of Beef Advocacy program, link to the press release here, contact Daren Williams at dwilliams@beef.org, 303-850-3346 or contact their state beef council.