Florida Beef Council Leadership Participates in Checkoff Orientation

After a year of adaptation and uncertainty, State Beef Councils (SBCs) once again had the opportunity to come together in person to share ideas and learn about their role in the Beef Checkoff. Dr. Lujean Waters. director on the Florida Beef Council board, joined DeAnne Maples, Florida Beef Council (FBC) Director of Beef Marketing and Promotion, and 18 other states at the SBC Staff and Director Orientation last month in Denver. Dr. Waters told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman it was a very eye opening and educational experience.

An FBC release notes new SBC staff members and directors came together to learn about the Beef Checkoff and the Federation of State Beef Councils. Presentations were made about the Beef Act & Order, Checkoff history and director roles and responsibilities. CattleFax provided a market update and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board discussed their producer communications activities as well as Checkoff payment compliance. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) staff provided program overviews and recent campaign results and discussed the robust financial firewall that exists between policy and Checkoff spending. The event also served as a way for SBCs to network with one another and to meet NCBA staff. 

“It was great to have so many states participate this year and to see everyone again in person,” said Clay Burtrum, an Oklahoma beef producer, and Federation of State Beef Councils chair. “Information presented during the meeting lays the foundation for the strong state and national partnership that exists through the Federation of State Beef Councils.”

The vision of the Federation of State Beef Councils is to build beef demand by inspiring, unifying and supporting an effective state/national Checkoff partnership. The Federation, organized in 1963, represents the 44 Qualified State Beef Councils and is housed by the NCBA, which is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

Administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Beef Checkoff was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents of the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board for national programming.

For more information on Beef Checkoff activities, visit the Florida Beef Council website.