The SLC Career Fair gives students the opportunity to explore agricultural careers and for the Arizona Beef Council, it represented a strategic opportunity to reach the next generation of beef advocates while they are exploring their future in agriculture.

Spinning Up Conversations About Beef
To draw students in and spark meaningful conversations, the Arizona Beef Council hosted an interactive spin-the-wheel activity at the booth. Students spun a wheel divided into ten categories covering key aspects of Arizona's beef community from grazing and sustainability to feedyard life, beef safety, nutrition, and the people behind the product. Each spin prompted a trivia-style question, giving students a chance to test their knowledge about where their beef comes from and how it gets to their plate. 

The activity was designed to be fast, fun, and low-pressure and it worked. Students gathered around the wheel throughout the day, challenging each other and sparking conversations that went well beyond the booth. By the end of the event, 196 beef sticks had been handed out, serving as both a crowd-drawing giveaway and a natural conversation starter about beef as a nutrient-dense, high-quality protein. 

Identifying the Next Class of MBA Contestants
Beyond generating buzz, the booth served a targeted purpose: identifying Arizona FFA students who are ready to take their passion for beef further. The spin-the-wheel format gave Arizona Beef Council staff a natural way to gauge each student's existing knowledge and interest level in real time and the response was encouraging. 

Many students expressed direct interest in the Arizona FFA Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) Career Development Event, the annual contest that challenges FFA members to complete the free MBA online course and then plan, conduct, and evaluate a beef advocacy presentation for their peers and community members. The MBA contest, now in its fifth year, has continued to grow as a meaningful pathway for Arizona FFA students to deepen their understanding of beef production and develop communication skills that serve them throughout their agricultural careers. 

Students who are interested in learning more about the Arizona FFA MBA Contest or the Masters of Beef Advocacy program can visit arizonabeef.org or the MBA course at mba.beeflearningcenter.org. The MBA course is free, self-guided, and open to all Arizona FFA members.     

###

About the Arizona Beef Council
The Arizona Beef Council is a non-profit organization served by a nine-member board of directors representing cattle growers, cattle feeders, and dairy farmers, appointed by the Governor of Arizona. These volunteers oversee the Beef Checkoff and Checkoff-funded programs.   

About the Beef Checkoff Program 
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. For more information, visit BeefBoard.org.