The 18-member Industry-Wide Beef Checkoff Task Force presented four recommendations last month for strengthening the program, providing more stakeholder input and making it more inclusive. They include:

• Revise the beef referendum process to provide producers the opportunity to petition every five years for a referendum on continuing the checkoff.

• To assure strong demand-building initiatives and offset 20 years of inflation, raise the per-head checkoff rate to $2.

• Enhance the identity of the Federation of State Beef Councils among stakeholders.

• Make the checkoff more inclusive by eliminating any reference to the charter date of established national non-profit industry governed organizations from definition (1260.113c) in the Beef Promotion and Research Order.

The four recommendations will now be presented to national and state beef organizations for consideration.

Members of the task force included the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Milk Producers Federation, National Farmers Union, American Meat Institute, R-CALF USA, National Livestock Producers Association, American Veal Association, Livestock Marketing Council, National Meat Association, Livestock Marketing Association, Meat Importers Council of America, and elected government officials.