Beef Promotion Operating Committee Looks at Program Funding

Meeting in Denver last week - the Beef Promotion Operating Committee had to make some difficult decisions about what programs to fund with checkoff dollars in fiscal year 2014 - which begins October 1st.

Cevin Jones is an Idaho family farmer and cattle feeder who is on the 20-member producer committee. He says it's especially difficult this year - when both cattle numbers and checkoff income are down

Jones: "We're faced with declining checkoff dollars and we've got less dollars and more requests for funds. So we're going to have to take a real hard look at all of these ARs and figure out where we get the most bang for our buck. What gets us the most value for the industry."

Jones is the Vice Chair of the Federation of State Beef Councils - which appoints 10 members to the Beef Promotion Operating Committee. The other 10 are selected by the Cattlemen's Beef Board. Jones says the Beef Checkoff Program is structured to provide maximum grassroots producer involvement

He says the Operating Committee works hard to make sure the interests of beef producers are protected and their beef checkoff dollars maximized

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee is looking at a budget of about 44.5-million dollars in beef promotion, information and research programs for next year. Its program recommendations must be approved by both the full Cattlemen's Beef Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before work can be started.