Beef Advocacy Program Graduates Exceed 2,000

The checkoff-funded Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program officially surpassed 2,000 graduates this past week and posted a record number of new student applications for a one week timeframe. More than 100 individual applications were submitted the week of March 7.

The program, designed to equip beef and dairy producers across the country to tell their story in presentations to schools and church/civic groups, through local media and in the “virtual” world of the internet, was launched in March 2009.

Since then, various participants have signed up to participate in an educational program to actively engage in sharing the positive story about beef.

The MBA program boasts a graduate base of people from 47 states, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Western Australia, and one on active duty in Qatar. They range in age from 13 to 80, and every farm size and type of operation, raising many choices of beef for consumers including grass-fed, grain-finished, natural and organic; and their product is sold in diners, fine dining restaurants, farmers markets and supermarkets.

Recent MBA graduate Celeste Settrini wears many hats in the agriculture industry: a partner in her family’s California cow/calf operation, a fresh commodity vegetable broker dealing with retail, foodservice and wholesale business, the state President of California Woman in Agriculture and legislative director for the California Cattlewomen.

“I found out about the MBA program and immediately decided that I needed to sign up…Because I believe in continuing my education to be as well rounded as I can possibly be,” said Settrini. “I have lived my experiences on the ranch and tell a pretty good story but the added benefit of all you learn from the MBA program with facts and figures compliments what I already know. Settrini says the program offers an “added boost to give your story the impact that really goes the extra mile. When you can back up experiences with facts and figures I believe it makes it complete.”

For more information, visit http://www.beef.org/mba.