Washington State Beef Commission

What Washington State Beef Commission does

The Washington State Beef Commission (WSBC) is a state government agency established in 1969 by the Washington State Legislature under RCW 16.67, operating as the state's Qualified State Beef Council. It administers the Beef Checkoff program in Washington by collecting a mandatory per-head assessment on all cattle sold in the state—$1.00 federal plus $2.00 state (effective 2026), totaling $3.00 per head—and directing those funds toward beef promotion, research, consumer education, and industry information. The federal portion is forwarded to the Cattlemen's Beef Board, while the state portion funds in-state programs.

The WSBC's core offerings are non-product programs rather than technology or physical goods: consumer-facing content (recipe collections, cooking lessons, beef labeling education, nutrition resources), the Local Beef Directory connecting consumers with Washington producers, the Beef Counts food bank partnership (delivering over 3 million servings of beef since 2010), the Sports Nutrition Game Plan deployed through nearly 800 WIAA-affiliated schools, and producer resources (BQA certification, Masters of Beef Advocacy, Checkoff compliance). Revenues are collected through designated collecting points, brand inspections, and private treaty sales, with the commission governed by a 13-member board representing all beef industry sectors and overseen by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

The WSBC serves a dual audience: Washington's approximately 7,599 cattle owners (cow/calf producers, feeders, dairy-beef operators, livestock markets, and processors) who finance the checkoff, and Washington's 9 million consumers who are the demand-side target of promotional programs. With 1–10 staff located in Buckley, WA, the organization operates as a small, lean promotional body overseeing a $5.85 billion annual economic impact for Washington's beef industry.

Name

Washington State Beef Commission

Legal name

Washington State Beef Commission

Website

https://www.wabeef.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Washington State Beef Commission is a state agency that collects mandatory Beef Checkoff assessments on cattle sold in Washington and funds beef promotion, research, consumer education, and producer programs. It serves Washington's ~7,599 cattle owners as funders and the state's 9 million consumers as the demand-building target audience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buckley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Beef Checkoff Assessment: Producer-funded mandatory assessment of $3.00 per head on all cattle sold in Washington State, collected through designated collecting points, brand inspections, and private treaty sales. The Federal Beef Checkoff ($1.00) goes to the Cattlemen's Beef Board while the Washington State portion ($2.00 as of 2026) funds local promotion, research, and education programs. Revenue is used for promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Washington State Beef Commission administers Beef Checkoff programs by collecting mandatory per-head assessments on cattle sold in Washington State and directing the funds toward beef promotion, research, consumer education, industry information, and producer communications. It operates as a state agency under RCW 16.67, providing consumer-facing content such as recipes, cooking lessons, and nutrition information, and producer-facing resources such as the Local Beef Directory, BQA certification support, and Masters of Beef Advocacy programming.

Product overview

The Washington State Beef Commission operates as a producer-funded marketing and research organization representing Washington's $5.7 billion beef industry. The Commission's offerings center on consumer education through Recipe Collections and Resources, comprehensive Cooking Lessons, and a Local Beef Directory connecting consumers with Washington producers. The organization runs community programs including Beef Counts (food bank partnerships), Sports Nutrition Game Plan (athlete nutrition education), and Cattlemen's Corner (producer resources). The portfolio includes educational content on Beef Choices labeling, nutrition research for health professionals, and sustainability information about the beef lifecycle from pasture to plate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Beef Directory Searchable online directory connecting Washington consumers with local farmers, ranchers, and butcher shops selling beef directly to the public, filterable by county and certifications such as BQA, WSDA Organic, Grass Fed, Grain Finished, and Direct Marketing.
• Beef Counts Program Community partnership program that distributes high-quality beef to food-insecure Washington families through Second Harvest, Food Lifeline, and Northwest Harvest, with processing support from Agri Beef Co. that allows 100% of donations to go directly to beef purchases.
• Sports Nutrition Game Plan Free sports nutrition education program for high school athletes, coaches, trainers, and parents that explains how beef fuels training, performance, and recovery, delivered through WIAA to nearly 800 Washington schools.
• Beef Checkoff Assessment Administration Administration of the mandatory Beef Checkoff assessment on every head of cattle sold in Washington State, with collections routed to state and federal demand-building programs in promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million+ servings of beef distributed to hungry families since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Second Harvest (Eastern Washington)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founding partner in Beef Counts program since 2010. Second Harvest works with a network of food bank locations in hundreds of Washington communities to distribute high-quality protein donated through the program. Coordinates annual Rollover Auction and food distributions.
• Food LifelinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partner in Beef Counts program providing high-quality, nutritious beef to local food banks to help hungry Washington families. Part of the collaborative effort to address the lack of high-quality protein in food bank donations (only about 4% of all food donations).
• Northwest HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partner in Beef Counts program since its founding in 2010, helping provide high-quality protein to food banks and families in need across Washington State.
• Agri Beef Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founding member of Beef Counts program in 2010. Provides annual donation of $50,000 and processes/ships all donated beef from their Washington Beef plant in Toppenish. 100% of producer and public donations go directly to purchasing beef due to Agri Beef's processing contribution.
• Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver sports nutrition education to nearly 800 member high schools and middle/junior high schools across Washington State. WSBC's Sports Nutrition Game Plan program provides nutritional information to student athletes, coaches, trainers, and parents through WIAA's educational network.
• Toppenish Livestock CommissionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHosts the Annual Beef Counts Rollover Auction where producers can donate money or animals to the Beef Counts program. Located at 428 South G Street, Toppenish, WA.
• Sports Nutrition Game PlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier sports nutrition program designed specifically for high school athletes, crafted to educate athletes, coaches, trainers and parents on proper nutrition principles and how beef plays a role in fueling training, performance and recovery. Available free to Washington schools.
• Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Beef Checkoff organization that receives 50 cents of every $1 Federal Beef Checkoff from Washington. Oversees national demand-building programs in promotion, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, research, and producer communications. WSBC reports annually to CBB.
• Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment oversight body for WSBC. WSDA Director approves WSBC's Marketing Plan and Budget annually. WSDA Director serves as voting Board member on WSBC Board of Directors.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WABeef
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-state-beef-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington State Beef Commission