Note: Committee meetings are at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Friday, February 4
Joint Public Opinion & Issues Management Group
8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., Room 204 B
The meeting will feature discussion of issues and programs such as nutrition, beef safety, consumer-friendly beef, youth education, health professionals, issues management and public relations. Chairman: Bob Rolston; Vice Chairman: Jay O’Brien

Joint Global Consumer Marketing Group
8 a.m. - 10 a.m., Ballroom C3
Hear program issues updates from all the joint marketing committees: Advertising, Foodservice, Retail, New Products & Culinary Initiatives, Veal, and International Markets. The individual joint committees will convene following the group meeting. Chairman: Al Svajgr; Vice Chairman: Lisa Hefner

NCBA Beef Production Research Committee
8 a.m. - 11 a.m., Room 202 A/B
The committee will discuss the recently developed Industry Research Priorities and hear the latest updates from leading scientists on issues affecting beef production. Chairwoman: Connee Quinn; Vice Chairman: Barry Dunn

NCBA Live Cattle Marketing Committee
8 a.m. - noon, Ballroom C1
The committee will discuss topics including live-cattle marketing, the outlook for cattle markets and the status of USDA’s cattle marketing study. Chairman: Jerry Bohn; Vice Chairman: Luke Lind

NCBA Membership Committee
8 a.m. - noon, Room 217 C
This meeting will allow producers and affiliates to develop strategies for enhancing revenue development, give direction on existing services and provide input on future programs for state organizations and members. Chairman: Harry Knobbe

NCBA Tax & Credit Committee
8 a.m. - noon, Room 214 A
The committee will evaluate current policy and develop our recommendations for future tax policy changes. We will share the latest developments in Congress and develop priorities for the coming year. Chairman: Joe Guild; Vice Chairman: Ford Drummond

Joint Producer Communications Committee
8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Room 211
Discussions will center around beef checkoff producer communications and beef industry information outreach efforts. Chairman: Mark Moenning; Vice Chairman: Sugie Sartwelle

Joint Producer Education Committee
8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Room 209
Discuss the association’s producer education activities, including Quality Assurance (QA) initiatives, the new Cattle Learning Centers projects, IRM materials and Cattlemen’s College®. Identify and establish priorities for future plans. Chairman: Tom Woodward; Vice Chairman: Carl Crabtree

NCBA Property Rights & Environmental Management Committee
8 a.m. - 2 p.m., Room 214 B
Congress may consider curtailing conservation programs during budget reconciliation in 2005. Learn the latest. Other topics include Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) efforts to issue a proposed rule to regulate particulate matter that will affect agriculture operations, whether certain provisions of Superfund and Clean Air Act laws apply to cattle operations, status of implementation of the Clean Water Act CAFO rule, and endangered species. Chairman: Preston Wright; Vice Chairman: Kevin Carstensen

NCBA Federal Lands Committee
8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Room 210 A/B
The committee will consider important issues that affect public lands ranchers — such as monitoring, NEPA, ESA, sage grouse, wild horse and burros, etc. — and how to take advantage of the current political climate to make progress. Chairman: John O’Keeffe; Vice Chairman: Keith Winter

NCBA Cattle Health & Well-Being Committee
8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Room 212 A/B
The committee will discuss issues ranging from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area, tuberculosis (TB), bovine viral diahrea (BVD), antibiotic approvals, animal care guidelines, animal identification (ID), and emerging cattle health issues. Chairman: Bob Smith; Vice Chairman: Wayne Godwin

Joint Human Nutrition Research Committee
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Room 204 A
The newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Food Guidance System will be a main focus. Hear how checkoff dollars are used to address nutrition-related issues. Be updated on the strategic focus of the program designed to provide the scientific base for industry-wide nutrition programs and messages. The Discovery Symposium, a gathering of leading experts in the nutrition community, will be in conjunction with the convention on Thursday, Feb. 3, from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Chairman: Dick Sherron; Vice Chairman: Greg Hilgeman

Joint Beef Safety Committee
8:30 a.m. - noon, Room 201
Discuss research priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2006 and hear results from recently completed beef safety research studies. Topics include pathogens, pre-harvest interventions, BSE and the Beef Industry Food Safety Council. Chairman: Glen Dolezal; Vice Chairman: Kent Bamford

Joint Product Enhancement Committee
9 a.m. - noon, Room 203 A/B
The committee will focus on beef product enhancement issues such as genetics, muscle characterization and applications, tenderness prediction, and how to best disseminate this information to producers and industry stakeholders. Chairman: Mike Engler; Vice Chairman: Bill Rishel

Joint Health Professional Influencers Subcommittee
10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Room 206 B

Joint Issues Management Subcommittee
10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Room 205

Joint Public Relations Subcommittee
10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Room 206 A

Joint Youth Education & Information Subcommittee
10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Room 207 A

Joint Food and Nutrition Issues Subcommittee
10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Room 207 B

Joint Advertising Committee
10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Room 214 D
The committee will review and discuss final 2004 consumer advertising results, as well as other planning information, and develop priorities that will serve as the basis for 2005 checkoff advertising. Chairwoman: Jennifer Houston; Vice Chairman: Dale Spencer

Joint Foodservice Committee
10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Room 216 A/B
Beef is the leading protein on foodservice menus, and checkoff-funded programs are helping to keep it that way. Learn how marketing initiatives are working to protect and grow beef’s volume in this $440-billion channel. Chairman: Sid Sumner; Vice Chairwoman: Laurie Bryant

Joint International Markets Committee
10:30 am - 4 p.m., Ballroom C2
Get the latest update on recent trade negotiations (World Trade Organization, Free Trade Area of the Americas and other free trade agreements), as well as efforts to reopen the U.S. beef industry’s export markets around the world. Also, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) will discuss their programs overseas to reopen markets and regain market share for U.S. beef and beef products. Chairman: Jamie Willrett; Vice Chairman: Ed Blair

Joint New Product & Culinary Initiatives Committee
10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Room 214 C
This committee sets strategies for the checkoff-funded New Product and Culinary Center (R&D Ranch®) programs and recommends funding for the Mark of Quality Commission and the National Beef Cook-Off®. Hear the latest on exciting new beef concepts and products in the market. Chairwoman: Hope Huffman; Vice Chairman: Dan Hammond

Joint Retail Committee
10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Room 217 A
Review the final results of the 2004 Summer Grilling Promotion, and hear status updates for all 2005 Retail Authorization Requests. The priorities for the committee will be reviewed and discussed. Chairman: Terry Wyatt; Vice Chairman: Richard Benoit

Joint Veal Committee
10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Room 215
The committee will receive FY 2005 program updates and listen to outside speakers address consumer marketing issues affecting the veal industry. Chairman: Mike Mosner; Vice Chairman: Bill Ehrke

Joint Research & Knowledge Management Group
1 p.m. - 3 p.m., Room 204 B
This meeting will serve as the venue for initiating the FY 2006 research planning process for product enhancement, beef safety, human nutrition research and market research. Chairman: Roger West; Vice Chairman: Keith Hansen

NCBA Agriculture Policy Committee
1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Room 214 A
The committee will look back at the close of the 108th Congress and the November elections and discuss how these events will affect the cattle industry. It will also discuss what’s in store for the 109th Congress and how NCBA will tackle the issues important to our members. Chairman: Roger Hickert; Vice Chairman: Ken Disselhorst

Joint Industry & Producer Services Group
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Room 214 B
Hear updates on activities in membership, industry communications and producer education. We also encourage your participation to improve and enhance collaboration among the three committees within this group: Joint Producer Communications Committee, Joint Producer Education Committee and the NCBA Membership Committee. Chairman: Myron Williams; Vice Chairman: Andy Tucker

Joint Information Committee
3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Room 217 C
Learn more about the programs that protect the marketing climate for beef, position beef in the media, monitor and respond to activist groups, measure consumer attitudes about beef industry issues and communicate beef’s nutrition message to youth audiences. The committee will hear reports from its subcommittees: Public Relations, Issues Management and Youth Education and Information. Committee discussion will include FY 2005 strategic planning priorities. Chairman: Dave Bateman; Vice Chairman: Gary Sharp

Joint Nutrition & Health Committee
3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Room 217 D
Don’t miss the latest update on the Perfect Nutrition Storm. Obesity, revisions of the food guide pyramid, dietary guidelines and food labeling have the potential to affect how beef fits on America’s plate. Influencers are important for the industry to interact with to help shape public opinion and food recommendations about beef. Plan to attend and discuss these issues and participate in future program direction of the committee and its subcommittees: Joint Health Professional Influencers and Joint Food and Nutrition Issues. Chairman: Mike Vache; Vice Chairman: David Dick

NCBA-PAC Affiliate Chairmen/Executive Officers/Presidents Committee
3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Room 217 B

NCBA Resolutions Committee
4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Room 007 C