Agricultural News
Livestock Marketing Association Wants Separation of Federation of State Beef Councils From NCBA's Policy Division
Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:11:17 CDT
A meeting in person and via teleconference was held on Wednesday by USDA officials and representatives of the groups that sent a letter to USDA expressing their worries about policy mingling with checkoff issues within the new NCBA structure.
One of those that was on the teleconference with USDA was Nancy Robinson, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Livestock Marketing Association. We talked with her as she and other staff of the LMA prepare for their annual meeting the next three days in Oklahoma City. Robinson has been involved in the concerns that LMA has had with how the checkoff is run for many years- and she mentions that as we talked with her on Wednesday evening.
Robinson tells us that it's "always a good thing" when you are able to meet and discuss difficult issues- and she acknowledged that the NCBA's recent modifications to their plans address "some of the concerns" of the groups that raised the red flag and caught the attention of Secretary Tom Vilsack and the USDA.
However, she believes the only acceptable conclusion would be for a strong separation out of the checkoff side of the NCBA- which is the Federation of State Beef Councils- having it separate from NCBA altogether. When we asked if that would look a lot like the Federation when it was under the National Livestock and Meat Board- she indicated that yes, that would be the best solution in LMA's opinion.
Click on the Listen Bar below to hear our conversation with Nancy Robinson about this latest meeting of all of the parties weighing in on the structural makeup of NCBA as it relates to checkoff efforts and the Federation of State Beef Councils.
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