SD impact on National Beef Checkoff

[mrj]

SD, having high numbers of cattle, and low human population, has a comparatively strong presence on national levels of Beef Checkoff management.

Roger Gerdes, Miller, SD cattle producer pres. of SD Beef Industry Council(SDBIC), said "we are represented on all the major committees" of the CBB and the Checkoff (or Federation) Division of NCBA.

Explaining that the committees were focused on the vision set forth for 2006: A Beef Industry that is profitable, growing, and sustainable for future generations had "everybody energetic and enthused, and there was a lot of positive motivation during the sessions". Gerdes further stated "our state's beef producers can express their ideas or concerns to their representatives on the SDBIC board and they will be heard on the national level".

BTW, the next meeting of SDBIC is March 7, at the Holiday Inn Express, Ft. Pierre, SD and every cattle producer is welcome to attend.

SDBIC directors serving on the CBB and their assignments: Ed Blair, Vale, SD chair of International Marketing Committee, was also named to the Executive Committee of the US Export Federation; Gary Sharp dairy and beef producer, Bath, SD, member of the Operating Committee, vice chair of Information Committee, and chair of Dairy Communications Committee; Pat Blum, rancher, Reliance, SD, Chair of Health Professional Influencer (an extremely important group able to show the people who tell our medical professionals what is current and good in the areas of medicine. Pat is a nurse, so has dual reasons for wanting on this committee) Subcommittee, and member of Administrative and Market Research Working committees; Merrill Karlen, rancher, Oacoma, SD, Issues Management Subcommittee.

SDBIC directors serving on the NCBA CHeckoff Division: Myron Williams, rancher, feeder, Wall, SD, Operating Committee; Becky Walth, rancher, Glenham, SD, vice chair of Human Nutrition Research Committee (where the exciting information of the fatty acid components so valuable to our health are being brought out) and member of Nominations Committee; Tom Connelly, order buyer/feeder (?), Belle Fourche, SD, New Product and Culinary Committee; Nancy Montross,rancher/feeder (?), DeSmet, SD, Retail Committee; Mike Stahly rancher/feeder, Cavour, Issues Management, Committee; and Roger Gerdes, Miller, SD, Advertising Committee.

The eight statewide SD beef organizations represented in the SDBIC are SD Beef Breeds Council, SD Cattlemen; SD Cattlemens' Aux., SD Stockgrowers, SD CattleWomen, SD Farm Bureau, SD Farmers Union, & SD Livestock Market Assoc.

Several (at least four) of those organizations are either officially or philosophically associated with R-CALF and I believe some of those committee members are members of R-CALF. So that organization certainly has, virtually since their beginning, had representation on Checkoff governing boards, both in SD and on the national level, as demonstrated by the committee assignments.

MRJ

 

[Tommy]

I applaud South Dakota's system of representation on the state beef council and CBB. That is not the case in Kansas. One organization has the say on who sits on the state beef council and CBB, and that is the KLA.

 

[Beefman]

I applaud South Dakota's system of representation on the state beef council and CBB. That is not the case in Kansas. One organization has the say on who sits on the state beef council and CBB, and that is the KLA.

Are you sure that's the case? Yes, most of the board members are also KLA members, yet I don't think any one organization can "control" who does / does not sit on the state and national councils. I cannot think of any strictly KCA (Rcalf affiliate) members that've tried to get on the council, and could not.....can you? Doesn't the ag secretary appoint members to the various beef councils?

 

[Tommy]

Beefman...I cannot think of any strictly KCA (Rcalf affiliate) members that've tried to get on the council, and could not.....can you? Doesn't the ag secretary appoint members to the various beef councils?

Yes I know of KCA members that have tried to get on the council. The KLA has had the final say on who is nominated to sit on the beef councils.

 

[mrj]

It would be interesting to see the rules for the various states on how representation on both their organization or group managing the state half of the checkoff, and the CBB board member nominees are named.

Tommy, would you post those for KS? Maybe others would do do for your states?
Your state Ag Dept. should have the information. State Beef Council would have it too.
MRJ

 

[Tommy]

mj...Tommy, would you post those for KS? Maybe others would do do for your states?
Your state Ag Dept. should have the information. State Beef Council would have it too.

Our state Ag. Dept. has no idea how it is done. They have no jurisdiction over the Kansas Beef Council.
The process to become a state or national beef council member is very complicated, but it boils down to the KLA having the most say on who sits on the boards.

 

[mrj]

mj...Tommy, would you post those for KS? Maybe others would do do for your states?
Your state Ag Dept. should have the information. State Beef Council would have it too.

Our state Ag. Dept. has no idea how it is done. They have no jurisdiction over the Kansas Beef Council.
The process to become a state or national beef council member is very complicated, but it boils down to the KLA having the most say on who sits on the boards.

Tommy, which is it? In one post you say "KLA has the FINAL say".....in another you say "KLA has the MOST say". That difference may be important to the makeup of the board.

I can understand feeling proprietary of the Beef Checkoff, since they most likely worked the hardest to gain a yes vote on the checkoff. In SD, it was pretty much the cattle only organizations and Farm Bureau, with FU actively fighting against it, and the auction markets doing so more quietly, or as Dennis Hanson, Ft. Pierre, said "we won't fight you, be we will know who to blame when things go wrong".

MRJ

 

[Tommy]

mj...Tommy, which is it? In one post you say "KLA has the FINAL say".....in another you say "KLA has the MOST say". That difference may be important to the makeup of the board.


MJ, like Oldtimer says your reading comprehension must not be the greatest. The first post I said the KLA has the final say on who is nominated, the second post I said the KLA has the most say on who sits on the boards. Some are not nominated, some get a seat by being the president of an organization. Like I said, it is complicated.


mj...I can understand feeling proprietary of the Beef Checkoff, since they most likely worked the hardest to gain a yes vote on the checkoff.

The Kansas Beef Council was created a long time before anyone ever heard of the checkoff. It was created by the KLA.

 

[mrj]

mj...Tommy, which is it? In one post you say "KLA has the FINAL say".....in another you say "KLA has the MOST say". That difference may be important to the makeup of the board.


MJ, like Oldtimer says your reading comprehension must not be the greatest. The first post I said the KLA has the final say on who is nominated, the second post I said the KLA has the most say on who sits on the boards. Some are not nominated, some get a seat by being the president of an organization. Like I said, it is complicated.


mj...I can understand feeling proprietary of the Beef Checkoff, since they most likely worked the hardest to gain a yes vote on the checkoff.

The Kansas Beef Council was created a long time before anyone ever heard of the checkoff. It was created by the KLA.

What year did they do that?

MRJ

 

[Tommy]

mj...What year did they do that?


1973

 

[mrj]

Tommy, wasn't there a voluntary Beef Checkoff prior to 1973?

BTW, I asked CBB staff about KS and learned that nominations come from a caucus of various cattle organizations, including KS Dairy Farmers of America, KS Farm Bureau, KS CattleWomen, KS Livestock ASsoc., and KS Cattlemen's Assoc.

Organizations are not required to caucus to submit nominations, but many do. At any time, any beef organization that has been certified to nominate can do so on their own. If an organization predominantly represents the cattle industry, the certification process with USDA is apparently quite simple and straightforward.

This sounds somewhat similar to procedure of SD BIC, though there are more certified organizations participating in SD. The major, really the only, problem I have with the SD system is that the SDLMA is included even though they do not allow their cattle producer members to vote in their organization unless they also happen to own a livestock market.

MRJ

 

[Tommy]

mj...BTW, I asked CBB staff about KS and learned that nominations come from a caucus of various cattle organizations, including KS Dairy Farmers of America, KS Farm Bureau, KS CattleWomen, KS Livestock ASsoc., and KS Cattlemen's Assoc.

MJ, you are correct, but the KLA has more seats on the caucus. Do you think that it is right that NO cattleman or woman from the KCA or the KS Dairy Association sits on the board? I am not sure if any Farm Bureau people have a seat.

There are 25 KS beef council board members, the caucus you talked about has a say in 7 of those 25. The other 18 are picked solely by the KLA and KS Cattlewomen.

 

[mrj]

mj...BTW, I asked CBB staff about KS and learned that nominations come from a caucus of various cattle organizations, including KS Dairy Farmers of America, KS Farm Bureau, KS CattleWomen, KS Livestock ASsoc., and KS Cattlemen's Assoc.

MJ, you are correct, but the KLA has more seats on the caucus. Do you think that it is right that NO cattleman or woman from the KCA or the KS Dairy Association sits on the board? I am not sure if any Farm Bureau people have a seat.

There are 25 KS beef council board members, the caucus you talked about has a say in 7 of those 25. The other 18 are picked solely by the KLA and KS Cattlewomen.

Tommy, are the Dairy people in KS complaining? Have you tried to work with the groups who don't get members on asked KLA what the problem is, or tried to work with them?

While I'm not acquainted with many from KS, I can't imagine that any one group has things totally tied up, unless they have a strong majority of the cattle producing members of the state.

Did you read the line where "at any time, any beef organization that has been certified to nominate can do so on their own"? I don't know if that applies only to seats on the CBB, or to both CBB and the state Beef Council. I believe the states probably have total control over their half of the checkoff, and my guess is that would apply to representatives on their BIC.

MRJ

However, that is a KS problem and outsiders like me have little or no interest in getting involved, other than to let you know where you can find out about rules governing most aspects of the Beef Checkoff.