Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Cory Booker of New Jersey have reintroduced a pair of measures to reform commodity checkoff programs and make them voluntary. Companion measures are being prepared to be introduced in the House. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall says the Senators don’t understand how well the federal Beef checkoff program is working and that their measures aren’t needed.

He says NCBA is operating the Beef checkoff properly and recent government audits have provided confirmation .

Woodall says the majority of cattle producers are against changing the Beef checkoff to a voluntary program. He says that wouldn’t work or be fair.

Woodall says it’s important to keep the Beef checkoff under producer control and out of the hands of Congress. He says NCBA will try to convince lawmakers to vote against the reform bills.