The Cattlemen’s Beef Board is investing approximately $38.1 million into programs of beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications during fiscal 2026, subject to USDA approval.

In action at the end of its Sept. 3-4, 2025, meeting in Denver, Colo., the Beef Promotion Operating Committee approved Checkoff funding for a total of 14 “Authorization Requests,” or grant proposals, for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025. The committee, which includes 10 producers and importers from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and 10 producers from the Federation of State Beef Councils, also recommended full Cattlemen’s Beef Board approval of a budget amendment to reflect the split of funding between budget categories affected by their decisions.

Nine contractors and three subcontractors brought 14 Authorization Requests worth approximately $49 million to the BPOC this week, approximately $10.9 million more than the funds available from the CBB budget.

“We continue to be impressed by the quality and creativity of the proposals our contractors bring forward each year, which makes funding decisions especially tough,” said Ryan Moorhouse, chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Beef Promotion Operating Committee. “While we receive many outstanding proposals, our limited resources mean we can’t fund everything we’d like. Inflation continues to reduce the impact of each Checkoff dollar, so prioritizing the most impactful programs is more important than ever.

“As expected, this year’s Authorization Requests were full of fresh ideas and innovative approaches that support the Beef Checkoff’s core efforts—research, promotion, foreign marketing, industry and consumer information, and producer communications. I’m proud of how our committee worked together to thoughtfully balance the budget and direct our limited resources in the most strategic way. I’m grateful to our contractors and fellow committee members for their dedication, and I look forward to seeing the results of their hard work in FY26.”

In the end, the BPOC approved proposals from nine national beef organizations for funding through the FY26 Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget:

• American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture - $705,000
• Cattlemen’s Beef Board - $1,800,000
• Meat Foundation - $650,000
• Meat Import Council of America / Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative - $1,000,000
• Meat Institute - $35,000
• Meat Institute/New York Beef Council - $235,000
• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association - $25,100,000
• National Institute for Animal Agriculture - $75,000
• United States Cattlemen’s Association/Kansas State University - $650,000
• United States Meat Export Federation - $7,900,000

Broken out by budget component, as outlined by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985, the FY26 Plan of Work for the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board budget includes:

• $9.23 million for promotion programs, including beef and veal campaigns focusing on beef’s nutritional value, eating experience, convenience, and production.
• $9.3 million for research programs focusing on pre- and post-harvest beef safety, scientific affairs, nutrition, sustainability, product quality, culinary technical expertise, and consumer perceptions.
• $7.7 million for consumer information programs, including Northeast influencer outreach and public relations initiatives; national consumer public relations, including nutrition-influencer relations and work with primary- and secondary-school curriculum directors nationwide to get accurate information about the beef industry into classrooms of today’s youth. Additional initiatives include outreach and engagement with food, culinary, nutrition and health thought leaders; media and public relations efforts; and supply chain engagement.
• $2.21 million for industry information programs, including dissemination of accurate information about the beef industry to counter misinformation from other groups, as well as funding for Checkoff participation in the annual national industrywide symposium about antibiotic use. Additional efforts in this program area include beef advocacy training and issues/crisis management and response.
• $7.9 million for foreign marketing and education, focusing on 13 regions, representing more than 90 countries around the world.
• $1.8 million for producer communications, which includes investor outreach using national communications and direct communications to producers and importers about Checkoff results. Elements of this program include ongoing producer listening and analysis; industry collaboration and outreach; and continued development of a publishing strategy and platform and a state beef council content hub. 

The full fiscal 2026 Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget is approximately $42.4 million. Separate from the Authorization Requests, other expenses funded include $305,000 for program evaluation; $762,000 program development; $280,000 for Checkoff education resources; $575,000 for USDA oversight; $220,000 for state services; $200,000 supporting services and litigation; and approximately $2.0 million for CBB administration. The fiscal 2026 program budget represents an increase of slightly less than 1.0%, or $195,000, from the $42.2 million FY 2025 budget.

Source: Beef Checkoff