Agricultural News
AFBF President Bob Stallman Addresses Improving Beef Checkoff
Wed, 14 Jan 2015 12:06:23 CST
Delegates at this year's American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Diego supported the current beef checkoff, the Promotion Research Act of 1985, which set up the current checkoff and the Federation of State Beef Councils. They also indicated they opposed any national beef checkoff program established under the Commodity Promotion Research and Information Act of 1996 and other changes to the selection process for the Cattlemen's Beef Board.
American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman believes the effort to come up with revisions to the beef checkoff is all about generating more revenue for beef promotion, research and education.
"Well what I would like to see and in fact I think it's the only way that we will make positive changes in terms of increasing resources for the beef checkoff, is for all of those groups that represent beef producers to get together and agree on a path forward in terms of modifying the current act that is in place," Stallman said. "But the primary goal of the beef checkoff working group, from our perspective, has been to figure out a way to increase the resources by increasing the checkoff rate."
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays featured Stallman on the Beef Buzz feature. Click or tap on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to today's Beef Buzz.
To increase the checkoff rate will take federal legislation. In the current environment in Washington D.C., Stallman said this would be very difficult pass legislation and accomplish. He said the only way that could happen would be if the entire beef industry could become united and right now the industry is not.
"I would like to see the beef industry get united and move forward and improve the checkoff," Stallman said. "Too many of the entities involved in the beef industry are fighting policy battles through this discussion about the beef checkoff, which to me is a mistake. It's going to hurt the beef industry."
As a beef producer from Texas, Stallman thinks the checkoff's role in education is as important as it has ever been with society being further removed from agriculture. Stallman said the education and information component and marketing component of the beef checkoff is going to be critical for the future.
Stallman would like to see the beef industry come together, but so far it has not happened yet. He has served on the Beef Checkoff Working Group for three years now and he is hopeful things will get better in 2015. At this point, Stallman said American Farm Bureau will stay engaged and will not walk away from the Beef Checkoff Working Group.
"Right now I am hopeful enough to say that we should continue working on it," Stallman. "We are still a ways from coming to resolution that I think will work in getting legislation passed."
American Farm Bureau delegates seem to be on the same page as Stallman in reaffirming their support for the current Beef Checkoff, the Federation of State Beef Councils and the selection process for the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion Board.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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