WASHINGTON -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has expressed his frustration with a beef industry working group's inability to come up with a consensus to improve the beef checkoff, announced Nov. 10 the U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing a new checkoff program for beef and beef products.
The new order would be in addition to the existing beef checkoff program, under which sellers of beef animals pay a fee of $1 per head for industry, education and research, the same amount they paid in 1985 when Congress authorized the act.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which essentially runs the checkoff, wants to raise the fee, but other groups with an interest in beef have opposed that move unless changes are made to the way it is run.
Vilsack also filed a Federal Register notice explaining USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service is seeking input from the public to guide the new checkoff's development. Comments are due by Dec. 10.
"Beef industry representatives agree that this important program needs more resources," Vilsack said. "USDA is stepping up at a critical juncture to help achieve the industry's goal. With this action, we can boost research investments, increase beef exports and encourage folks here at home to support American beef producers."
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The U.S. Cattlemen's Association and the National Farmers Union, which have been critical of the current management of the checkoff, said they were thrilled at Vilsack's proposal, while NCBA denounced it.
The U.S. Cattlemen's Association said its leaders "look forward to participating in the process and encourage all other beef producers and groups to embrace this opportunity."
"NFU looks forward to answering the questions that have been posed by USDA on the beef checkoff, as the current checkoff program is in need of major reform," Farmers Union President Roger Johnson said. "Our comments are sure to focus on the need to separate NCBA's control from the checkoff. The beef checkoff should be operated like the rest of the checkoff programs where the checkoff itself is not allowed to be controlled by policy organizations pushing political agendas."
NCBA President Bob McCan, a Victoria, Texas, cattleman, said Vilsack's proposal for a second beef checkoff "is duplicative and would only prove wasteful of producer dollars.
"This plan by the USDA would consolidate greater authority in federal hands and effectively remove producer control from their promotion and research efforts. Therefore, we remain opposed to the administration's checkoff."
The new order would be developed under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. The current checkoff was established under the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985.
A referendum on an order established under the 1996 Act would be conducted within three years after assessments begin to determine whether beef producers favor the program and if it should continue. A second referendum would be held within seven years of the start of the program.
