CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The beef advocacy program supported by the beef checkoff has named blogger and cattlewoman Anne Burkholder as the recipient of the first Advocate of the Year award. The award recognizes an outstanding participant in the Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program, which trains members of the beef community to engage with consumers and answer their questions about beef and beef production.
A Florida native, Burkholder moved to Nebraska with her husband in 1997 to run a family feed yard that had been in her husband’s family since the 1970s. Since then, the mother of three started a successful blog entitled “Feed Yard Foodie” and works for Progressive Beef to ensure that its supply chain is producing high-quality, sustainable beef.
While many beef advocates grow up with an agricultural background, Burkholder grew up a self-proclaimed jock in Palm Beach County, Florida, and attended Dartmouth University where she majored in psychology. This unique perspective allows her to relate to consumers who may not be familiar with beef production.
“Managing a feed yard for 20 years inspired me to learn to identify and fill meaningful gaps. With thousands of cattle relying on me each and every day, recognizing if an important gap existed between the care that I offered and what the animal needed was absolutely critical for good welfare. This same philosophy of working to ‘fill the gap’ extends to all of the areas of my life, including beef advocacy,” explains Burkholder. “A gap clearly exists between the truth of how beef is raised and the general consumer knowledge of the beef industry. As someone actively engaged in caring for cattle and raising beef, it is my job to help fill that gap with truthful information.”
Burkholder’s passion for communicating with consumers led her to become an early graduate of the checkoff’s Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program. She has taken that training, paired with her firsthand experience, to another level. She has participated in national media interviews and high-profile panel discussions to share beef’s positive story with consumers around the country.
“Feed Yard Foodie is a natural extension of me. It creates appropriate transparency as I try to bridge the seemingly unending chasm between urban and rural America. I truly believe that ‘together we are stronger,’ and my advocacy efforts focus on finding common ground with those who were not granted the blessing of living on a farm,” says Burkholder.
Burkholder is no stranger to awards. Awarded the BEEF Magazine Trailblazer award in 2014, she was named to Vance Publishing’s 40 under 40 in agriculture in 2013, and in 2009, awarded the Beef Quality Assurance Producer of the Year award.
The Advocate of the Year is selected by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor of the beef checkoff which manages the MBA program, and state checkoff staff as the standout advocate among the 12 monthly award winners in 2016.
Find out more about the Masters of Beef Advocacy program at http://www.beef.org/mastersofbeefadvocacy.aspx. To learn more about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
— Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board
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