03/06/03 Big survey part of checkoff settlement

American Rancher March 6, 2006 At least eight-thousand cattle producers will be surveyed on their attitude about the beef checkoff as part of a settlement of the lawsuit challenging the checkoff that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The constitutionality of the checkoff was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in May of 2005. The survey is part of the stipulations dismissing remaining claims in the suit by the federal District Court in South Dakota. The Livestock Marketing Association was involved in the legal challenge to the beef checkoff and LMA spokesman John McBride says the USDA will use checkoff dollars to conduct the survey. McBride: "We are very pleased to work with the Beef Board in doing this survey because we feel they are very sincere in wanting to take a look at the checkoff and find ways to improve. I can tell you that certainly we are going to be at the table when these questions are developed. And I know we will be including a question for those that take the survey on how do you feel about a periodic referendum because we still believe that producers do deserve the right to vote on a program every few years and we are going to be very interested to see what a broad survey will tells us on that point." When the survey will be conducted has not yet been determined but the questions will be developed with input from a representative of LMA, from the Cattlemen's Beef Board, from the Federation of State Beef Councils and one from USDA. I'm Bob Hoff.