The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act or OFF Act has been introduced in both Houses of Congress. R-CALF supports the bill. CEO Bill Bullard says the legislation calls for reform of all checkoff programs including the beef checkoff. He says money raised from the beef checkoff has been going to one lobbying group that doesn’t represent the interests of all producers who pay into it.

He says R-CALF turned its attention to the OFF Act when their efforts to get enough signatures to call for a referendum on the beef checkoff failed recently.

Bullard says even though they couldn’t get enough petition signatures that most cattle producers still have problems with checkoffs and wan them reformed.

Bullard says one group, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is reportedly receiving 82 percent of the revenue from checkoff funds. He says these mandatory government programs have little to no produce guidance or representation.