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Agricultural News


R-Calf Upset Over Cattlemen Beef Board Participation in US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:28:19 CDT

R-Calf Upset Over Cattlemen Beef Board Participation in US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance After learning that the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the Beef Checkoff Program are, collectively, a board participant to the newly formed U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), R-CALF USA President Geo rge Chambers and Vice President Joel Gill fired off a fiery letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong asking them to put a stop to what the two officers described as government graft and corruption.


"It is readily apparent that USDA is allowing the use of producer checkoff dollars to foster the creation of an elitist group certain to exclude most of the nation's organizations that represent the interests of many, if not most, agricultural producers," wrote R-CALF USA officers Chambers and Gill.


The letter points out that many of the USFRA affiliates and board participants are themselves recipients of money collected under the many mandatory commodity checkoff programs administered by USDA.


The R-CALF USA officers explained that the $50,000 annual cost of becoming a board participant, or even the $5,000 annual cost to be an affiliate, of USFRA was prohibitive for organizations that were not also recipients of government checkoff dollars.


Also, the officers explained that while the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) is charged with overseeing how the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) spends producer beef checkoff dollars, the new relationship with USFRA puts the NCBA and CBB on equal footing for determining how checkoff dollars will be spent.


Because both NCBA and the CBB/Beef Checkoff Program are board participants on the USFRA, "the Cattlemen's Beef Board and NCBA are now equal partners in deciding how to spend Beef Checkoff Program funds represented by the Beef Checkoff Program's annual financial contribution to USFRA," the officers wrote.


"This, of course, is absurd," their letter continues and further states, "It also is a perfect example of government graft and corruption where the government is using funds taxed from hard-working livestock producers to promote, finance, perpetuate and strengthen the self-interest of private industry associations."


The R-CALF USA officers further charged that because the CBB and the Beef Checkoff Program have contributed $50,000 in dues to become a USFRA board participant, "the Cattlemen's Beef Board and other commodity checkoff program administrators would be hard pressed to deny a request from a checkoff program contractor, such as the NCBA, to use checkoff funds to pay their respective $50,000 annual fees for the privilege of becoming a USFRA board participant."


"Please inform us as to whether any of NCBA's dues paid to USFRA to sit along side the Cattlemen's Beef Board/Beef Checkoff Program on the USFRA board are derived either directly or indirectly from Beef Checkoff Program Funds," the letter asks.


"It is our hope that either or both USDA and the Office of Inspector General will take immediate, affirmative action to put a stop to USDA's ongoing pandering to private industry interests, which are directly at odds with the interests of many, if not most, independent U.S. farmers and ranchers," the letter concludes.


Click here to see a copy of the letter sent to Secretary Tom Vilsack.



   

 

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