CBC Dietetic Internship Nutrition Communication Training Brings the Rancher to the Classroom

Rocklin, CA —Like Cattle ranchers all over the United States, Celeste Settrini starts her day early. On a typical morning she and her brother/business partner will have an “office meeting” in the truck on the way to their cow-calf ranch in Salinas, California. But days as a rancher oftentimes include more than ranching, especially for this ranching advocate.

“I’m extremely passionate about ranching and the beef industry,” Settrini said in a recent California Beef Council (CBC) interview. “I love speaking to consumers and other folks about ranch life and what we do, and the thing for me that is so exciting are the questions that I get.”

Recently, Settrini was getting those questions from University of California-San Diego (UCSD) dietetic interns in a one-day virtual Nutrition Communication Training session sponsored by the CBC.

“Communication skills are an important tool in the dietetics toolbox,” said CBC Director of Food & Nutrition Outreach Kori Dover, RD. “In their future careers, these students may be called on to make a presentation to an audience, respond to client questions with science-based answers in a way that is both meaningful and respectful to that client, or provide nutrition counseling with the goal of facilitating behavior change.”

Once university dietetic students complete the academic requirements for their dietetics program, they are eligible to apply for a dietetic internship. Dover’s Nutrition Communication Training is offered to these dietetic interns and focuses on Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) core competencies that target communication skills. In addition, Dover also addresses the top myths and questions about beef, including:

• Aren’t we eating too much beef?
• Is beef bad for your heart and does it raise cholesterol?
• Isn’t beef a primary source of fat in the diet?
• Aren’t plant-based proteins better?
• Isn’t beef bad for the planet?

The agenda for the one-day workshop includes: a discussion of Beef in a Healthy Diet; Conversation with a Cattle Rancher; Evaluating and Translating Research; Interactive Case Studies & One-On-One Counseling Practice; and The Power of Communication in Dietetics.

For 2021, February and March Nutrition Communication Training sessions are coordinated with UCSD, California State University-Sacramento (CSUS) and the University of California-Davis (UCD) and are conducted virtually. For more information contact Kori Dover, RD at kori@calbeef.org.

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About the California Beef Council

The California Beef Council (CBC) was established in 1954 to serve as the promotion, research, and education arm of the California beef industry, and is mandated by the California Food and Agricultural Code. The CBC’s mission is to position the California beef industry for sustained beef demand growth through promotion, research and education. For more information, visit www.calbeef.org.

About the Beef Checkoff

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.