Agricultural News
Petitions Delivered to Oklahoma Department of Ag Requesting Vote on Oklahoma Beef Checkoff
Tue, 16 May 2017 06:11:19 CDT
The President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association (OCA), Charlie Swanson, delivered 480 petitions to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture on Monday to begin the process of planning a state referendum vote for a Oklahoma state beef checkoff. The petitions represent more than 5,150 signatures by beef cattle ranchers and farmers calling for the opportunity to vote on creating a state based beef checkoff. Oklahoma state law requires that a successful petition be signed by 10% of beef cattle ranchers and farmers. According to the most recent National Agriculture Statistics Service survey done in 2012, that number in Oklahoma is approximately 51,000 beef cattle farmers and ranchers. The next step in the process is for the Secretary of Agriculture to schedule a public hearing to consider the petition.
After that, a vote open to all beef producers in Oklahoma will be held to determine their desire to add a second dollar to the checkoff collected in Oklahoma. Oklahoma producers will control all of the second dollars- which can be spent in state, nationally or internationally for promotion, education and research which are the same mission areas for the current dollar collected nationally.
"Now more than ever, cattle producers must band together to promote beef. Our consumers want to know more information about beef and how we raise it. We have a great story to tell and we need to tell them," said Charlie Swanson, OCA President.
Additionally, the checkoff can support promotion of US beef in foreign markets.
"Thanks to President Trump, US beef will be back in China in mid-July. We need to fund promotion and advertising strategies there to make sure they know how great our beef is," Swanson added.
The potential timeline for a vote of beef producers may be this fall. South of the Red River, Texas cattle producers voted for a second dollar four years ago. Texas began collecting their Texas Beef Checkoff in October of 2014. Like the proposed Oklahoma Beef Checkoff, the Texas Beef Checkoff program is different and separate from the current national $1/head Beef Checkoff. Like the Texas Checkoff, the state assessment, as required by state statute, will be refundable.
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