NY Beef Council
MISSION: TO ENHANCE THE LIVES OF CONSUMERS BY CONNECTING THEM WITH BEEF AND THE BEEF COMMUNITY
The National Beef Checkoff Program 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. The checkoff assessment became mandatory when the program was approved by 79 percent of producers in a 1988 national referendum vote.
The checkoff is collected by state beef councils, like the OBC. Half of each dollar is forwarded to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (https://www.beefboard.org/) (Cattlemen’s Beef Board) which oversees the national checkoff program, subject to USDA review. The other half of the dollar is retained by the OBC to fund state-based programs, which complement and extend the industry-wide effort. Independent research shows that the checkoff has increased profit opportunities for producers, netting a return of $5.55 for every dollar invested.
