Rudolph Shares Experiences from 8 Years on Board of Directors

Entering his 8th year as a Nebraska Beef Council Board Member, and currently serving as Chairman, Jeff Rudolph has spent the better half of the decade helping make important decisions and promoting the beef industry worldwide. Rudolph, General Manager of Hi Gain Feedlot of Gothenburg, says that joining the Board of Directors was something he felt he owed to the industry after a former director encouraged him to do so, to be “a steward of the dollar.”                

“I’ve become much more informed about the effort and attention that goes into the decision making process for the programming that’s awarded to contractors by the board of directors,” said Rudolph. “It’s hard to get your mind around the commitment that people make to being very purposeful with the producer’s dollars and very cognizant of where they are being invested.”                

During his tenure on the board of directors, Rudolph says that two programs really stick out to him of impactful programs that the Nebraska Beef Council has promoted. One being the Nebraska Beef Passport, and the other promoting beef as a first food for infants and toddlers.                

“The Beef Passport has been well received and is a great way to see the state and visit different restaurants,” said Rudolph. “We’ve also seen the implementation of programming based on research, such as the idea that beef as a first food for infants. That has been a campaign for a few years and it was based on the research that was done prior to that.”                

Outside of Nebraska and the United States, Rudolph has had the opportunity to travel globally to Japan and most recently to South Korea with Governor Pillen on a trade mission. Rudolph says these trips are enlightening when it comes to seeing the work the Beef Council and other groups do to promote beef pay off.                

“It just really strikes me when you go to a foreign country, the enthusiasm that they have for American beef, the passion they have for it, positive things that they say,” said Rudolph. “If you don't go you just don't know.”                

When it comes to beef producer communications, Rudolph really encourages others to be aware and educated of what is happening in the industry and where their Checkoff dollars are going.                

“There’s great resources available through the National and Nebraska programs, the e-newsletters as well as print ones and all of the great websites,” said Rudolph. “It’s important the producers know their dollars are being well spent.”

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The Nebraska Beef Council is a non-profit organization served by a nine-member board of directors. The volunteers oversee the beef checkoff in Nebraska and checkoff-funded programs. Programs for marketing and promotion are funded by the $1/head beef checkoff.