National Beef Council

What's the National Beef Checkoff?

The Beef Checkoff Program was founded as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff evaluates $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and brought in cattle, besides a comparable evaluation on brought in meat and beef items. The checkoff evaluation became required whenever system ended up being approved by 79 percent of producers in a 1988 national referendum vote.

The checkoff is gathered by qualified condition meat councils, which retain to 50 dollars in the dollar. Their state councils forward the other 50 dollars per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and analysis Board, which oversees the national checkoff program, at the mercy of USDA review. The 103 members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board represent all portions associated with the beef industry, including meat, veal and dairy producers, in addition to cattle and beef importers, and are nominated by industry businesses and importers and appointed because of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

The structure of this Beef Checkoff plan is based on these directives:

• All producers and importers spend the exact same $1 per mind.
• Producers into the condition control half of this money collected by condition meat councils.
• All nationwide checkoff-funded programs are budgeted and examined because of the Beef Board.
• Beef Board members are nominated by fellow meat producers.

Exactly what can the checkoff do?

The Beef Checkoff acts as a catalyst for change. The checkoff does not own cattle, packing flowers or shops. It can’t single-handedly turn around a bad market. The checkoff program was built to stimulate others to market even more meat and stimulate customers to buy even more beef. This is achieved through projects such consumer advertising, advertising partnerships, advertising, education, study and new-product development.

Exactly what cannot the checkoff do?

Legally, checkoff funds is not accustomed promote particular types or companies without previous endorsement through the Beef Board Executive Committee and USDA, nor can they be employed to influence government policy or activity, including lobbying.