Secure Beef Supply website offers new biosecurity resources

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The Secure Beef Supply website has been redesigned to better serve the growing number of users seeking new, updated and classic biosecurity resources.

“Producers can use these new Secure Beef Supply Plan resources to be proactive and customize their biosecurity strategies and plan before a disease outbreak — when time and resources are limited,” said Julia Herman, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s beef cattle specialist veterinarian. “It’s a valuable addition to any risk management plan and should be developed in collaboration with veterinarians and other team members.”

Thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, the NCBA led a collaborative effort to increase awareness of SBS and foot-and-mouth disease.

In 2023, an advisory group was formed to guide this initiative, incorporating feedback from nearly 50 stakeholders — including producers, veterinarians, state officials, BQA state coordinators, Secure Food Supply coordinators and SBS trainers.

Their input shaped the website’s reorganization, resulting in a more intuitive layout, simplified language and streamlined navigation.

Users can now easily access more than 100 resources, including enhanced and daily biosecurity tools, at www.securebeef.org/biosecurity.

The grant also supported the development of new educational materials, including bilingual handouts, in English and Spanish, and training videos.

The website overhaul was executed by Iowa State University’s Center for Food Security and Public Health and Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle of Preventalytics, with support from NCBA.

Updates were coordinated to ensure alignment with other SFS commodity groups — pork, milk, sheep and wool.

Producers and livestock transporters interested in working with an SBS trainer can email producered@beef.org.

States with officials available to develop or review biosecurity plans are listed at www.securebeef.org/state-contacts/.

Herman will lead train-the-trainer sessions during Stockmanship & Stewardship events in South Dakota and Missouri. For details and registration, visit www.stockmanshipandstewardship.org.