Idaho Beef Council outlines marketing, research and export efforts; committee hears tariffs and wildfire impacts

The Idaho Beef Council told the Idaho Senate Agriculture Committee on an agenda meeting that it is investing state and national checkoff funds in marketing, retail training, research and export promotion to expand demand for Idaho beef.

TK Kuwahara, a representative of the Idaho Beef Council, told the committee the council is a producer-funded organization and explained how the beef checkoff works. "We can only promote and we can only use checkoff dollars for promotion, education, and research. So by law, we cannot use these funds to lobby or directly work on issues," Kuwahara said. She said Idaho has about 7,400 farms with beef inventory and approximately 2,500,000 head of cattle, citing the U.S. agricultural census data from 2022.

Kuwahara described how checkoff dollars are collected and allocated. She said the national dollar-per-head checkoff sends 50 cents to the national Cattlemen's Beef Board and that up to 50 cents remain under state beef council oversight for local and regional programs; the council also receives an Idaho state checkoff assessment. The council uses those funds for retail and food-service campaigns, producer education, research and international promotion.

Why it matters: committee members pressed the council on trade and production risks that can affect…