Who We Are

The Pennsylvania Beef Council is a non-profit organization working on behalf of nearly 23,000 beef, dairy and veal producers in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania's 49,000 farm families continue to be the stewards of more than 7.3 million acres of farmland. With $7.8 billion in cash receipts annually from production agriculture, Pennsylvania farmers and agribusinesses are the leading economic driver in our state.

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. Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff.  All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.

What We Do

The Beef Council administers the Beef Checkoff Program in Pennsylvania, which 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. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the market climate for beef.