Ag News, Monday June 1, 2015

The Beef Checkoff Debate

According to the Oklahoma Farm Report - several agricultural groups are lobbying to reopen the 1985 Act that established the beef checkoff at a one-dollar per head assessment for marketing, education and promotion efforts in order to increase the assessment rate to two-dollars per head.

Chandler Keys of the Keys Group - a political consulting group - says this could be a dangerous step for the beef industry in today’s Congress. If a federal dollar checkoff came up a national level - Keys believes they would give you a five-dollar checkoff, 100-dollars a head, with everything refundable - including the original dollar. The Beef Checkoff Working Group doesn’t want the first dollar of the checkoff touched - but would be fine with the second dollar being refundable.

According to the Report - the Heritage Foundation has compared the mandatory checkoff program to a tax. Keys says having state-run beef assessments might be the better alternative.

http://www.beefboard.org/about/faq_aboutcheckoff.asp

USDA Continues Partnerships to Provide Children Meals During Summer

For 40-years - USDA has supported summer meal programs that keep children in low-income communities active and engaged when school is out - according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. These programs provide these children with breakfast and lunch throughout the summer. Over the long haul - Vilsack says this program can result in children performing better in school - resulting in them being in better positions to be competitive in the global workplace. More than 21-million children rely on free and reduced priced meals during the school year - and 3.8-million participate in the summer meal programs. Visit www.fns.usda.gov for more information.

Pork Checkoff Turns Up the Heat This Summer

The grilling season is upon us - and the Pork Checkoff knows Americans love to grill. Pork Checkoff Domestic Marketing Committee Chair Randy Brown says research shows many people aren’t sharing and talking about flavor as much as they could be - so the Checkoff is going to tackle Americans’ flavor shyness this summer and show them that getting bold flavor is as simple as choosing juicy, tender pork.

In May - the Checkoff launched its flavor mission with an unexpected cookout crash in one of the top 10 states in the U.S. with the most need of a flavor infusion - Illinois. The Checkoff has teamed with four celebrity chefs for DJ Grill Crashers - a campaign aimed at inspiring African American consumers by encouraging them to cook and enjoy pork in creative and healthier ways. Brown says this multi-platform promotion will help the Checkoff educate more consumers about the different ways they can enjoy pork this summer.The goal is to expand long-term pork demand. Visit www.PorkBeInspired.com/GrillCrashers to learn more.

Source:  NAFB News