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Copyright © 2015
Angus Journal

Ready to Advocate

Masters of Beef Advocacy program now has nearly 4,000 graduates.

 

by Kindra Gordon, field editor

DENVER (Jan. 15, 2013) — The Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program offered through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has trained nearly 4,000 graduates from 48 states since it was launched three-and-a-half years ago. Daren Williams, who serves as executive director of communications for NCBA and oversees the MBA program, says the success of the program has exceeded his expectations.

 

Williams provided an update on the MBA program during the International Livestock Congress in Denver Jan. 15. He noted that Maine and Alaska are the only two states that have not yet had an individual complete the MBA training.

 

Williams explained that the MBA program was created in late 2009 to “put a face on agriculture” by developing a grassroots network of beef enthusiasts who would help share positive messages about the beef industry.

 

The program includes six self-study online courses that cover topics including beef nutrition, how beef is produced, beef safety and the beef checkoff. With this training, MBA graduates can be better prepared to have conversations with others about the positive aspects of beef.

 

Williams said, “It is mind-boggling some of the questions we get from mainstream media and consumers today, and we (the beef industry) have got to be the ones out there answering their questions.”

 

He continued, “When they go online and do a Google search, we need to be the ones to answer their questions.”

 

Williams reported that MBA graduates are making that happen through a grassroots effort — from talking one-on-one to people, writing editorials to local publications, responding to comments posted online, as well as through individual blogs that tout the industry.

 

As two examples, Williams pointed to Debbie Lyons Blythe, an Angus producer from Kansas, and Anne Burkholder, who operates a cattle feedyard in Nebraska. Both women have created their own beef-related blogs — Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch and Feedyard Foodie, respectively — and have also garnered national media attention for their roles in helping everyday consumers better understand the beef industry.

 

“We do a great job talking to each other,” he said, “but we’ve got to reach beyond the choir.”

 

Consumers want to know they can trust their food, Williams said. “You build trust by building relationships, and relationships are built through conversations.”

 

To learn more about the Masters of Beef Advocacy program visit www.beef.org/MBA. Find Blythe’s blog at: http://kansascattleranch.blogspot.com/ and Burkholder’s at http://feedyardfoodie.wordpress.com/.