Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative is Raising the Steaks for the Beef Community

The Beef Checkoff, through it’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), is giving consumers an up-close, first-hand look at how today’s beef is raised in the Northeast. Through a three-part, interview-style video series, the NEBPI showcases a few segments of the beef lifecycle and the producers who raise it. As a passionate advocate for the beef community, Nicole Rodriguez is a Registered Dietitian and personal trainer who takes us on a journey, learning how beef gets from barn gate to dinner plate. 

In the video series, Rodriguez guides us through three different cattle operations across Pennsylvania, opening the barn doors and sharing her perspective of questions her clients are asking. Rodriguez is a New York native, living and working closely with the urban populations, but has a deep passion for the agriculture community and sharing her experience with nutrition clients. Rodriguez continually advocates for beef as part of a balanced diet sharing recipes, debunking myths about agriculture and extending the farmer’s story across her social media platforms. You can most often find her on Instagram: @Notoriously.Nicole.RD.

To expand the reach of these videos, the NEBPI has created a two-month YouTube campaign to reach our target urban audiences with positive beef messages throughout the series. The campaign is estimated to engage nearly 20,000 consumers, linking them back to Raising Beef in the Northeast on the NEBPI website, a landing page where consumers can learn more. Through targeted social ads, as well as video clips on YouTube, the campaign is geared towards parents interested in cooking, grocery shopping and raising a healthy family, hitting them with positive beef messages to keep this important protein part of a balanced diet.

First stop on the video tour was a cow-calf operation in Elizabethtown, PA. Rodriguez met with Scotty Miller at Masonic Villages Farm, learning about the cow-calf herd he manages there. 

Next, Rodriguez visits with Darwin and Bernard Nissley at their beef feedlot in Mount Joy, PA. There the brothers own and operate Nissley Brothers Feedlot, where they are feeding cattle for the commercial market. 

Finishing up the tour series, Rodriguez joins Amy Hess, owner of Bow Creek Farm in Hershey, PA chatting about their Red Angus herd and marketing beef to their local consumers. Chef Matt Lett of Troegs Brewery also joins the discussion about his favorite Bow Creek beef cuts at use in their restaurant.

Overall, the campaign is off to a great start with hopes for this tour series to also be used with health professional and influencer groups. The recorded videos serve as a great way to connect our consumers with those growing and producing today’s beef supply, especially at times when on-farm tours may not be possible. For more information about the Beef Checkoff, visit NEBPI.org or BeefBoard.org.

Media Contact:    Jennifer Orr, [email protected] or visit the NEBPI website.    

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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill.  The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products.  States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA Approval.  Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.