Larry Jones, who has a diversified cattle operation in Southwest Kansas, was recently elected chairman of the Federation of State Beef Councils. Larry has volunteered much of his time to state and national beef organizations, and has come to appreciate the value of cooperative efforts on behalf of the Beef Checkoff Program at the national and state levels – and the real critical role that state beef councils play in the process.  

Cut #1         :19          Outcue: "...each other’s doing."

Jones says state beef council boards can make their own determination about the most effective and efficient utilization of checkoff dollars for producers in that state.

Cut #2          :13          Outcue: "...got lots of cattle."

The experiences Jones had at the state level provided a good foundation for his new leadership role in the national level.

Cut #3          :16          Outcue: "...by the local volunteers."

Along with the decisions they make at the state level, state boards also elect the volunteers who will represent them on national Joint Checkoff Committees.  The national Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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.