On 3 Public Relations was hired by the Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) in 2014 for public relations and communications services for the purpose of messaging internal and external audiences related to a legislative proposal before the 2015 Legislative Session.

Florida ranks 12th in the nation for beef cattle and 17th for total cattle and calves—the industry itself contributes more than $100 billion to Florida’s economy and supports 2 million jobs.

The legislative initiative sets up the ability for a statewide industry-held referendum to establish a Florida Cattle Enhancement Board (FCEB) to oversee a new Florida Beef Checkoff program.  If passed, the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board will be a producer-approved and producer-funded assessment, in which an additional dollar will be collected each time a head of cattle is sold in the state of Florida. The dollars collected will be used for promotion, production research and education, similar to the national Beef Check Off program, which was enacted in 1988.

On3PR first developed strategic messaging for FCA’s internal leadership, and once a unified, consistent and strategic message was approved, it was disseminated to support organizations, and in turn, was ready to be shared with members of Florida’s editorial boards. This also introduced FCA leadership to the media in order to serve as subject-matter experts on this and other agricultural issues.

On3PR scheduled and attended editorial board meetings with six of Florida’s major newspapers, including the Lakeland Ledger, Orlando Sentinel, Gainesville Sun, Bradenton Herald, Tampa Bay Times and the Tampa Tribune. This resulted in a ‘My Word’ feature in the Orlando Sentinel and later, the opportunity to weigh in on an agriculturally-related issue in the Tampa Bay Times.

All media packets, educational and messaging documents and presentations were drafted by On3PR, with final approval by the FCA. Information included a three-page Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, a one-page briefing document, a Florida checkoff infograph, recent media coverage, and a list of program endorsements and testimonials. These materials were also made available on the FCA website for internal and external audience accessibility and review.