Contact: Rhonda Perry or Brian Smith at (573) 449-1336, [email protected], [email protected]
Missouri Cattle Producers Have Opportunity to Oppose New State Beef Checkoff
FACT LIST: Beef Checkoff Facts
MO Department of Ag Holds Hearing on Wednesday, December 9th on doubling the Beef Checkoff; An increase of over $2 million a year
This Wednesday, December 9th, the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) is holding a single public hearing on a proposed new Missouri state beef checkoff in Sedalia at 10AM at the Missouri Electric Cooperative Building at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia (2503 W. 16th Street, Sedalia, MO 65301). This new checkoff would require cattle producers to pay an additional $1 per head beef checkoff in addition to the current $1 per head cattle producers are already paying into the federal beef checkoff.
Currently, Missouri cattle producers are paying over $2 million each year into the federal beef checkoff. This proposed state beef checkoff would double that amount and force Missouri cattle producers to pay over $4.5 million each year in beef checkoff fees.
“The current federal checkoff program that Missouri beef producers have paid tens of millions of dollars into has been an extremely unsuccessful program. Since the checkoff was passed, beef consumption is down 31%, we’ve lost 40% of Missouri’s beef producers and now the Missouri Beef Industry Council has the nerve to ask for a 200% raise,” says Roger Allison, cattle producer from Howard County and Executive Director of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center. “We do not need to be pouring more of our hard earned money into a totally unaccountable program instead of investing that money in our own operations and local economies.”
All interested persons can attend the hearing. This will be the only chance beef producers will have to let the Missouri Department of Ag know whether they oppose this new state checkoff program.
The Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC) requested that the Missouri Department of Ag conduct a public rulemaking and comment process that would allow Missouri cattle producers to know what the voting process would be and to be able to provide input into the process. The Department of Agriculture refused to hold a public rulemaking process and is not allowing any written testimony from the over 50,000 beef producers from across the state who may not be able to attend this single hearing.
The last time MDA held a referendum, no producers showed up at the public hearing, only 4% of producers voted and 2.8% of producers voted in favor of raising the checkoff that forced 100% of Missouri’s corn producers to pay the doubled checkoff fee.
Because mandatory checkoff programs have a history of a lack of oversight and public input, MRCC is encouraging all Missouri cattle producers to attend and make their voices heard.
For more information about the hearing and how producers can participate, contact the Missouri Rural Crisis Center at (573) 449-1336.
See Beef Checkoff Fact Sheet Attached
What: Public Hearing on Missouri State Beef Checkoff Increase
When: Wednesday, December 9th—10AM
Where: Missouri Electric Cooperative Building—Missouri State Fairgrounds (2503 W. 16th Street, Sedalia, MO 65301)