Promoting superior nutrition of beef.

[fedup2]

SH writes: Can you provide one example of misuse of beef checkoff funds? If not, what's your problem this time?
Must be the letters NCBA huh? Can't think for yourself again huh?

See what I mean SH! You cannot even comprehend the simplest statement or questions that I ask MRJ.
No Where have I attacked the checkoff! I have always backed it! I have said it needs some changes but it is neccessary!

By implying I claimed the checkoff funds were missused, you LIED again!
Its getting to be a habit with you!

MY question to MRJ, (and I'll try to make this so simple that even you can understand it) is that in her post she implys that the NCBA doesn't need to run the checkoff and that they would even be bigger and better without it! She claimed it actually constrained them. So why do they fool with it. If they could do a better job representing the producers whom they are supposed to represent, why not pass the checkoff to someone else?

SH, give it up. Get some medication.

[~SH~]

See what I mean F'ed up?

You can't even comprehend the simplest of statements.

[fedup2]

I don't know why I even bother!

MRJ writes: My point is, NCBA is not going to disappear if the checkoff ends, or is "taken away from NCBA"........AND WILL PROBABLY GET EVEN BIGGER AND BETTER.

MRJ writes: Therefore, we probably would do our own thing, removing staff from the checkoff to work in a closed system or group of beef production and marketing alliances which WOULD NOT HAVE TO OBSERVE THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE CURRENT CHECKOFF!

SH writes: Nowhere did MRJ say that the NCBA would get bigger and better AS A RESULT OF NOT HAVING THE CHECKOFF OR THAT THEY WERE CONSTRAINED BY IT.


You have to be high on something! NO one could be that stupid!

[~SH~]

MRJ did not say that the NCBA would get bigger and better as a result of getting rid of the checkoff.

You put your own spin on it.

Yes, you are that stupid if you don't think anyone is going to pick up on your deception.


~SH~

[Ben Roberts]

Evolution of the Check-Off-Dollars

In the mid 1950's, The National Livestock and Meat Board, which is packer owned and controlled, appointed a National Meat Promotion Committee to coordinate beef,pork and lamb promotions. This program did not set well with cattlemen.

When Jay Taylor became president of American National Cattlemen's Association in 1954, he called on the National Livestock and Meat Board to set-up beef promotion. He was unsuccessful, even though Jay Taylor had been Chairman of the National Livestock and Meat Board from 1951 to 1953. the National Livestock and Meat Board held to its multi-species approach of promoting all red meat. At this point, cattlemen decided to form The National Beef Council that was to be funded by a nationally legislated check-off but was never passed. Jay Taylor was so impressed with the newly formed National Beef Council that he brought R.C. Pollock, then general manager of the National Livestock and Meat Board, to the convention to talk about a beef promotion program. Cattlemen had suffered from the second worst drought in history and severely depressed cattle prices. Inspired by R.C. Pollock, they enthusiastically picked up the beef promotion program of the National livestock and Meat Board.

The National Livestock and Meat Board responded by appointing a Program and Policy Study Committee, headed by John Marble and directed by Harrel DeGraff of Cornell University. Cornell University has receeived large contributions from the large meat packing companies of Armour,Swift,Cudahy and Wilson for many years. The committee recommended that the National Livestock and Meat Board be divided into a Beef Committee,a Lamb Committee,and a Pork Committee. This recommendation opened the door for a merger of the Beef Committee of the National Livestock and Meat Board and the National Beef Council.

In 1963, the National Beef Council and the National Livestock and Meat Board formed the National Beef Industry Council. The National Beef Industry Council was funded by voluntary check-off funds at that time; then voluntary funds went to an automatic deduction from the sales of cattle collected by auction yards and commission firms at the terminal markets. If you did not want to give a contribution you could make a written request and your deduction would be returned to you.

The National Livestock and Meat Board, which is packer owned and controlled, collected funds in the amount one cent per head on all livestock sold at the large terminal markets. This money was used for the promotion of meat. The one cent per head rate continued from 1922 until 1953. In 1953, it was increased to two cents per head, and in 1961, it was increased to three cents per head. That worked very well for the big packers. Then, with the reduction of livestock being shipped to the large terminal markets in the late 1960's, there was also a reduction of money collected for the big packers. So they had to devise a new way to collect large amounts of advertising and research funds.

By 1977, the packers had developed a strong working relationship with the American National Cattlemen's Association, which had evolved from the American National Livestock Association in 1951. In 1977, the American National Cattlemen's Association became the National Cattlemen's Association. At that time, the National Cattlemen's Association was financed by its membership dues and by collecting funds from cattle producers on a voluntary check-off for the promotion of beef. Not until the packers had this strong working relationship with the National Cattlemen's Association did the check-off-dollars become mandatory, by legislation in the 1985 Farm Bill, when Joann Smith was president. Then in 1995, the packers took over the National Cattlemen's Association, with the merger of the National Cattlemen's Association and the National Livestock and Meat Board, which became the National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA).

Joann Smith, was the first women president of the National Cattlemen's Association in 1985. She then led a successful campaign and was the first Chairman of the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board (the one who collects the check-off-dollars) Joann Smith then went on to become a board member of IBP.

Best Regards
Ben Roberts

[EJ]

[mrj]

[mrj]

[EJ]

MRJ, when you say "no reports no input", are you referring to the CBB or the Beef Council??

[mrj]

[EJ]