Speaking this week to Farmers Union members at their Fly In.,Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said he may consider using his own authority to make changes to the Beef Check off. NFU was part of a working group looking at possible changes to the program but recently withdraw after the committee couldn’t come to agreement. South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke says he thinks it’s good the Secretary is considering stepping in.
Sombke says there needs to be more transparency with the beef check off as well as more producer representatives and group involvement.
One of Vilsack’s concerns is that the dollar per head check off collected on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle has not been raising enough money in recent years since cattle herds are smaller.