Missouri Cattlemen Vote to Block State Checkoff

From the Western Ag Reporter, April 28, 2016:

The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that Missouri cattle producers have overwhelmingly rejected a prposed state beef checkoff, which would have assessed an additional $1 per head on cattle transactions on top of the already existing nnational mandatory beef checkoff assessment of $1 per head. MDA reports that 77% of registered producers voted in teh referencdum and that 75% o those producers said “NO” to the new beef checkoff.

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC), which opposed the new checkoff, said the proposal was an attempt to force Missouri’s 50,000 cattle producers to pay over $2 million a year into a new unaccountable state beef checkoff program when US cattle producers have already paid over $2 billion into the federal beef checkoff program that MRCC said “has been a failure.” An MRCC statement on the matter said,

“Beef consumption is down 32%, 40% of Missouri cattle operations have gone out of business, and more and more of our (national) beef checkoff dollars are going to promote foreign beef. Adding a new mandatory checkoff clearly was not the answer. Missouri cattle producers are on the right side of history, and this vote shows that we are willing to stand up and fight for the future of our industry. We will not cave to special interests and unaccountable government agencies attempting to take over our industry.”

Zalesky, Leesa. “Missouri Cattle Producers Soundly Reject Beef Checkoff Hike”. Western Ag Reporter 28 March 2016: 1. Print.

The Wyoming Cattleman’s Association supports Missouri cattlemen in their opposition to a state-mandated beef checkoff.