Executive Vice President’s Perspective

Task Force Recommendations Are Stepping Stones to Greater Success

By Michael Kelsey

    The Industry-wide Beef Checkoff Task Force recently completed its work of reviewing and making recommendations. This committed group of people has produced a document with four recommendations for improving the beef checkoff. Most notable of this group’s work, however, was their unanimous agreement that the beef checkoff has played a significant positive role for our industry over its 20-year history.

The task force was an idea that began at the grassroots level. Cattlemen directed NCBA and the American Farm Bureau Federation to initiate an industry-wide review involving all national beef and farm organizations to discuss and develop recommendations to strengthen the beef checkoff.

The group had a very deliberate and open process that involved three meetings. The first meeting gathered input from all participating organizations. At the second meeting task force members were presented with and discussed information about the checkoff – namely producer attitude surveys and econometric models. At their final meeting the group finalized the following four recommendations to the industry, utilizing a super-majority voting process.

Referendum – The beef referendum process be revised to provide producers the opportunity to petition every five years for a referendum on continuing the checkoff. Ten percent of beef producers signing the petition at county offices will trigger the USDA to conduct a vote within a year. This is similar to the soybean referendum model.

Checkoff rate – To assure strong, demand-building initiatives for the beef industry in the future and to offset 20 years of inflation, adjust the per head checkoff rate to $2. The 50-50 split between state beef councils and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board would remain the same. The industry will need to approve any checkoff rate change through a referendum.

Federation of State Beef Councils – Have the Federation of State Beef Councils give priority to enhancing its identity to increase stakeholder understanding of the Federation. Options such as changing its name from The Federation Division to The Beef Checkoff Federation could be considered.

Inclusion – Any reference to the charter date of established national, non-profit, industry-governed organizations be eliminated from definition (1260.113c) in the Beef Promotion and Research Order. This will make the checkoff program more inclusive.

The task force’s four recommendations are just that – recommendations. In order for three of the ideas to become reality, the Beef Act must be opened and modified. Any time a statute is opened there is opportunity for anyone to weigh in with his or her ideas. Groups and organizations that have very different ideals in nutrition, marketing and other areas will lobby hard. Now, I don’t share this as a fear, but rather as accountability to the responsibility that we have to be unified when we enter the process.

The beef checkoff is an awesome program that has paid cattle producers significant dividends. The tireless, resourceful and committed work that Federation volunteer leaders and staff conduct is truly unbelievable; our own Nebraska Beef Council is an excellent example. These recommendations will provide more resources and support for our already great program. I can only imagine the new heights of success that await our industry!

Special note: Congratulations to Ann Marie Bosshamer as the new Nebraska Beef Council executive director!    Michael Kelsey is NC executive vice president. He can be reached at mkelsey@necattlemen.org.