National Beef Ambassador Program
Youth ambassadors travel the country to promote beef.
by Kasey Miller, associate editor
TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2013) — The National Beef Ambassador Program (NBAP) helps develop the next generation of leaders in the beef industry, said Sarah Bohnenkamp, American National CattleWomen Inc. (ANCW) executive director and COO, and program manager of NBAP. She explained the program at the ANCW meeting Feb. 5, 2013, preceding the Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show in Tampa, Fla.
Chosen each year, the team consists of five college-aged students who travel the country to promote beef face-to-face with consumers. To make the team, they must first compete in the national contest in which they must excel in media interviews, consumer demonstrations, issue response and classroom presentations to be chosen.
In the 2013 contest, 31 contestants competed, an increase by three from the previous year.
The winners also participate in leadership development events and activities, in addition to reaching consumers nationwide. The current team has made 432,772 personal impressions, compared to 306,136 made in the prior year. This increase of 41% shows the program continues to evolve. Surveys done on iPads after NBAP interactions show that 70% of nearly 300 polled agreed that the ambassador helped change their opinion of beef.
In addition to face-to-face impressions, the ambassadors are responsible for writing at least one blog topic each week. The educational conferences that they attend help fuel this blog.
A junior program fills the pipeline for senior contestants and increases the quality of senior contestants.
There were a few proposed changes to the contest, including renaming the classroom portion to consumer and youth education and, in addition to classroom presentations, allowing contestants to showcase their skills by means of social media outreach (including YouTube videos) and coordinated campus events. The suggested change was to be brought to the executive committee.
For more information on the program, visit www.nationalbeefambassador.org. For more information about the ANCW and its programs, visit www.ancw.org.
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