Sometimes I just miss things. The Beef Bucks program is an example.
Willie Vogt, the editorial director of our company mentioned it to me the other day in curiosity. I simply hadn't ever noticed this novel. It's a great idea; gift certificates and debit cards devoted to the purchase of beef products.
Bob and Nancy Montross in South Dakota run this truly non-profit operation. Neither the Montrosses nor anyone else on the board get paid even a salary. They're just people involved in the beef industry, most of them producers.
A Beef Bucks certificate works like a prepaid check for retailers or restaurateurs. You buy it, you give it. The recipient uses it to pay the merchant. The merchant fills in his/her name and deposits it in the bank.
The VISA debit card is self-explanatory, except there's a $4 cost for each card, so if you pay $25 for a card it would be redeemable for $21 in beef products.
The website for this fine organization is beefbucks.org. To order certificates go there and click on their "store" page or just call Bob and Nancy at (888) 640-MEAT.
I figure I just found some Christmas gifts for those hard-to-buy-for relatives.