Checkoff Survey- But Will CBB listen to it!!!

[Oldtimer]

CN_Today 1/26/2007 9:02:00 AM


USDA Announces Results Of Nationwide Beef Checkoff Survey

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2007 - Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the results of the Beef Checkoff Survey, which was conducted recently among beef, dairy, and veal producers nationwide.

From Oct. 4 through Nov. 21, 2006, the Gallup Organization, with oversight by USDA, interviewed 8,002 beef, dairy and veal producers across the nation to measure their attitudes regarding the Beef Checkoff Program. This program assesses $1-per-head on all cattle sold in the United States and $1-per-head equivalent on imported cattle, beef and beef products, to invest in programs aimed at increasing demand for beef and improving profit opportunities for cattle producers and importers who pay into the program. USDA oversees the program, which is administered by the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board (Cattlemen's Beef Board).

The survey was conducted in response to a settlement agreement between Cattlemen's Beef Board and the Livestock Marketing Association as a result of a May 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ruled the Beef Promotion and Research Act constitutional. Checkoff dollars funded the survey and the dissemination of its results. Representatives of the USDA, Cattlemen's Beef Board, the Livestock Marketing Association, and the Federation of State Beef Councils worked together to develop the survey questions. Some highlights of the survey results are:

Seventy two (72) percent of those surveyed either strongly approved or somewhat approved of the Beef Checkoff Program. In a question on changes or improvements to the program, some respondents noted that they would like to see more advertising and more information about how checkoff funds are spent.

Sixty-six (66) percent of those surveyed would strongly approve or somewhat approve of the Cattlemen's Beef Board contracting directly "with any entity, including businesses, university researchers, advertising and marketing agencies, and other consultants." Less than 25 percent would disapprove of this move. Currently, the Beef Promotion and Research Act requires that the Cattlemen's Beef Board contract only with "established national nonprofit industry-governed organizations … to implement programs of promotion, research, consumer information and industry information."

Eighty two (82) percent of those surveyed would strongly approve or somewhat approve of "voting periodically on the continuation of the Beef Checkoff Program."

Ninety-two (92) percent of those surveyed would strongly agree or somewhat agree that "if it were possible, all or at least some portion of the Beef Checkoff dollars should be used to promote only U.S. born and raised beef." Currently, the program promotes beef, in general, and importers also pay into the program at $1-per-head on live animal imports and a $1-per-head equivalent on beef products. Even if promoting only U.S. born and raised beef meant canceling the checkoff assessment on imported beef and beef products, 75.4 percent of the survey respondents still strongly or somewhat agree that a portion of the checkoff dollars should be used to promote only U.S. beef. Currently, about $8 million or 10 percent of the total assessments collected comes from imports.

The results of the survey will be discussed in more detail during each of the respective group's 2007 annual meetings. For more information about the date and time the report will be discussed during these annual meetings, contact the Cattlemen's Beef Board at 1-800-388-2333, Livestock Marketing Association at 1-800-821-2048, or the Federation of State Beef Councils (National Cattlemen's Beef Association) at 303-694-0305. The final report will be available on USDA's web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/mpb/rp-beef.htm on Jan. 25, 2007.

 

[Oldtimer]

Ninety-two (92) percent of those surveyed would strongly agree or somewhat agree that "if it were possible, all or at least some portion of the Beef Checkoff dollars should be used to promote only U.S. born and raised beef."

I wonder if 92% of the US cattlemen will be enough to open the eyes of NCBA and the CBB? They have been very slow to wake up.....

 

[Oldtimer]

I get a laugh out of reading the press releases and articles that have come out after this survey was released... Two of them I've seen now- Meatingplace and Drovers- both print and rave up the number of folks (72%) that supported the checkoff...

But both forget and leave out of their article the part about the 82% wanting periodic votes on the checkoff-- and the part about the 92% voting to have the checkoff used to promote USA born, raised, and slaughtered beef....

If it doesn't fit the Packer/NCBA agenda- we'll just forget about it- even if its going against what 92% of the nations cattlemen want.... That fits into my view of what NCBA has turned into....

 

[skcatlman]

OT i see problems with the checkoff on imports using a equivelent head checkoff won't be accurate because there are so many products from a beef. Secondary problem is when a foreign country has to manditorily pay for market acess that is called a tariff. And it is not allowed unless there are unfair trade practices going on . Sorry you guys won't be able to get the rest of the world to pay for your beef industry. Remember the woods law was found to be illegal by the WTO. so there is no way the check off would stand up as it does the same thing. So domestic checkoff not a problem,but the WTO won't let the checkoff on foreign cattle and products be collected for long.

 

[Oldtimer]

OT i see problems with the checkoff on imports using a equivelent head checkoff won't be accurate because there are so many products from a beef. Secondary problem is when a foreign country has to manditorily pay for market acess that is called a tariff. And it is not allowed unless there are unfair trade practices going on . Sorry you guys won't be able to get the rest of the world to pay for your beef industry. Remember the woods law was found to be illegal by the WTO. so there is no way the check off would stand up as it does the same thing. So domestic checkoff not a problem,but the WTO won't let the checkoff on foreign cattle and products be collected for long.

You definitely don't know your beef/cattle business very well---Canada and all importing countries have been paying the US beef checkoff on all imported beef/cattle for several years already....

But now the US cattleman is ready to give up that, to be able to promote just USA born raised and slaughtered beef...

 

[skcatlman]

Ot check the WTO the woods law in the US was just found to be unfair trade and all monies received by groups under it must be returned with interest. I have a feeling that this sets precedent and the foriegn checkoff could be claimed back with interest , i am going to e-mail my ag minister and see if there is anything that could be done to claw our money back. Maybe that is why he program is being abandoned.

 

[Oldtimer]

January 30, 2007 Phone: 406-672-8969; e-mail: [email protected]



Checkoff Survey Results Match Group's Policy Positions

Billings, Mont. – R-CALF USA Checkoff Committee Chair Jim Hanna said the organization is extremely encouraged by the results of the recently completed survey of cattle producers on the Beef Checkoff Program. The survey was conducted by the Gallup Organization.

"To have an overwhelming majority of those surveyed agree completely with R-CALF's policy positions gives us a tremendous boost as we begin to work with Congress to make needed changes to the program," Hanna said.



"Specifically, the survey showed that 66 percent of the producers polled would support the idea of allowing the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) to contract directly with vendors, ending the requirement that they contract with an existing national industry governed organization, and 82 percent of respondents said they would support a periodic referendum on the Checkoff," he noted. "Ninety-one percent thought the current $1 per head assessment was adequate, while 92 percent wanted to use Checkoff dollars to support products derived from cattle that are specifically born, raised and processed in the United States.


"The survey also agreed with R-CALF's position that a producer-financed promotion program is critical to the financial health of the domestic cattle industry," Hanna continued. "I find it gratifying that R-CALF, as well as the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) and the National Livestock Producers Association (NLPA) and others who have pushed these ideas all along, have received confirmation by 8,000 producers that we were promoting exactly the agenda items that are most important to them.



"Independent cattle producers across the U.S. have spoken, and done so with a nearly unanimous voice," Hanna emphasized. "This gives us the springboard we need to show Congress that the Beef Checkoff Act and Order is in need of review, and that R-CALF USA intends to be the leader in assuring that any changes made will be consistent with the wishes of U.S. cattle producers."

According to the CBB, 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 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 Beef Checkoff Program, subject to USDA approval.

Note: To view or download the survey results, visit: http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/mpb/rp-beef.htm.

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