With 45 state beef councils to coordinate with, new Federation of State Beef Councils Chairman Larry Jones has his hands full.  The Southwest Kansas beef producer says communication is a huge part of his new task. 

Cut #1         :21          Outcue: "...reach the same goals."

The Federation of State Beef Councils is a division of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and contracts with the Cattlemen’s Beef Board to implement specific beef checkoff programs.  According to Jones, achieving the goals set for the checkoff means utilizing the dollars in a wise manner.

Cut #2         :20          Outcue: "...use for the consumer."

Jones says he spends a lot of his time explaining to beef producers that the Federation Division of NCBA and the organization’s Policy Division are two separate entities.

Cut #3         :15          Outcue: "...research and promotion."

The firewall between the Federation of State Beef Councils Division of NCBA and the Policy Division is closely monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the $1-per-head Beef Checkoff Program.  The checkoff is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and its 104 volunteer producer members.

The national Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, a group of 108 beef producers appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.  They represent producers from coast-to-coast and volunteer their time to help identify programs that can help increase beef demand.  The checkoff was created in the 1985 Farm Bill, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle and a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.