Beef Certificate Program Reaches Nearly 22,000 Kansas Students During 2025-26 School Year

For more information, contact:
Hailey Gilbreath
Director of Communications
Kansas Beef Council
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2026

Beef Certificate Program Reaches Nearly 22,000 Kansas Students During 2025-26 School Year

(TOPEKA) — The Kansas Beef Council’s (KBC) Beef Certificate Program reached nearly 22,000 Kansas students during the 2025-26 school year. This Checkoff-funded program empowers the next generation of shoppers to make informed decisions about the food they purchase and prepare at home.

The program reimburses Kansas middle and high school Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and ProStart classrooms for beef used in hands-on lessons on selection, storage, preparation and nutrition. Across 58 counties, 142 schools participated last school year, reaching 21,784 students.

Through the program, FCS and ProStart teachers apply for funding to purchase beef for classroom labs and gain access to more than 10 standards-based lesson plans covering beef selection, safe handling and nutrition. Reimbursement amounts are based on class enrollment and school classification. KBC provides the lesson plans and teacher support at no cost.

The Beef Certificate Program also grew beyond the classroom. In partnership with the California Beef Council, KBC launched "Beef: Processing to Plate," a virtual learning series connecting students to food safety and meat science. The recording remains available for continued classroom use. Kansas beef producers also support the next generation of foodservice professionals through sponsorship of state culinary competitions such as the Kansas ProStart Invitational, where Eudora High School won the Best Beef Dish award in March 2026.

"These classroom labs give students the chance to select, handle and cook beef themselves, and that hands-on experience builds confidence they'll carry into their own kitchens and grocery stores," KBC Director of Nutrition Abby Heidari, RDN, LD, said. "We're grateful to the FCS and ProStart teachers who bring these lessons to life and to the Kansas beef producers whose Checkoff investment makes it all possible."

KBC now is accepting Beef Certificate Program applications for the 2026-27 school year. Kansas FCS and ProStart teachers can apply online at www.kansasbeef.org. Teachers with questions can contact Heidari at [email protected] or (785).273-5225.

For more information about KBC and its programs, visit www.kansasbeef.org.

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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 retain up to 50 cents of each 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.