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State beef group works on ’85 checkoff

Jennifer Houston, Federation of State Beef Councils, 2014 NAFB_EDITThe Federation of State Beef Councils says it’s working to develop a more workable beef checkoff. Jennifer Houston, vice chair of the Federation, tells Brownfield a second beef checkoff proposed by Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is not a good option – and – that’s why they’re working toward improving the 1985 Act that established the dollar per head checkoff amount. Houston tells Brownfield Ag News, “And we want to be able to keep the Cattlemen’s Beef Board/State Beef Council involvement. So, we feel very strongly that we need to revise the ’85 Act as our way to increase our checkoff rather than doing something differently.”

The Federation has a checkoff working group that she says has made progress, “(We’ve made) some committee structure changes. We’ve opened the contracting entities to people who weren’t around in 1985. So we’re always looking at ways to make the checkoff better. But, inherent in that is an understanding that we hope to get a dollar, or some kind of increase, in the checkoff at the end of the road.”

Houston says state beef councils all agree that an increase in the checkoff is necessary to help move the beef industry forward.

AUDIO:  Interview with Jennifer Houston at 2014 NAFB Convention Trade Talk (5:00 mp3):

 

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