Ted Cunningham: Raising Cattle. Growing Beef Demand.

Ted Cunningham, Region 3 representative on the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) Board of Directors, is part of a diversified cattle enterprise in south central Missouri. Along with his family, Ted manages a small commercial and seedstock herd, backgrounds purchased calves and develops heifers. The operation also provides custom feeding and development services for seedstock bulls, replacement heifers, and stocker cattle. Ted is part of New Day Genetics, a bull development and marketing company, and the family hosts two sales each year at their farm, marketing bulls and bred heifers through those events.

Like many producers, Ted has been involved in the cattle business his entire life. Years ago, he set a goal of building a business that would allow him to ranch full time. Today, that goal is a reality, although the priorities of the operation can change from one day to the next. Through all of the different aspects of the business, Ted says the constant priority is managing cattle performance and health.  

Ted believes strongly in the role of the beef checkoff and the unified voice it provides for promotion and consumer education. He felt it was important to become involved with MBIC to help provide stewardship of the portion of checkoff dollars that remains in Missouri for beef promotion, education, and research. He sees one of the Council's important roles as evaluating new marketing campaigns and strategies that connect with today's consumers. With every dollar becoming more valuable, Ted believes it is increasingly important to find creative, cost-effective ways to promote beef and demonstrate a return on the industry's investment.

He sees the Council making a difference by investing in efforts that show consumers that beef is a healthy, nutritious, affordable, and delicious protein choice. Ted believes beef demand has the potential to continue growing as the industry improves the quality and consistency of its product and consumers become more familiar with the story behind beef production. 

Connecting that story with consumers can be challenging. Many consumers have little personal connection to agriculture and may not fully understand the devotion, passion, and challenges that go into raising beef. Ted believes producers also have an opportunity to consider how they communicate about cattle care. Terms such as animal health and animal performance may be familiar to producers, while consumers may be more accustomed to hearing animal welfare or well-being. At the heart of each is the same commitment to caring for cattle and doing what is right for the animal. 

Looking ahead, Ted sees continued opportunity to grow beef demand and gain market share. He believes maintaining a high-quality, consistent product while helping consumers better understand how beef is raised will be important to building and retaining that demand.  

When it comes to enjoying beef with family and friends, a ribeye is always a favorite, but Ted also enjoys sharing something a little different. His family especially enjoys Santa Maria-style tri-tip, and he likes introducing the cut and its simple preparation to people who have never tried it before. 

For fellow producers, Ted's message is to recognize the value of the checkoff. He believes the investment provides significant value for a relatively small contribution and has played an important role in building and sustaining the strong demand for beef. To consumers, his message is simple: behind every steak and every package of beef are real people dedicated to raising and producing a high-quality protein source for everyone to enjoy.  

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About the Beef Checkoff

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.