Beef Checkoff Questions And Answers
About ‘Who Pays’
1) Who pays the dollar?
By law, all producers selling cattle or calves, for any reason and regardless of age or sex, must pay $1 per head to support beef/veal promotion, research and information through the Beef Promotion and Research Act. The buyer is generally responsible for collecting $1 per head from the seller, but both are responsible for seeing that the dollar is collected and paid. In addition, the checkoff also is collected at the same rate on every live beef animal imported and at the equivalent rate of $1-per-head on all beef products that are imported [import assessments were $7.6 million in 2007.].
2) Is anyone exempt from paying the dollar?
No producer is exempt from the checkoff, according to the act. Buyers who resell cattle no more than 10 days from the date of purchase may file a non-producer status form and avoid paying an additional dollar. They are, however, responsible for remitting collected funds and reporting any transaction to the qualified state beef council. [More recently, producers of 100 percent certified organic products were exempted from most commodity checkoffs.]
3) Who polices the collection of check off dollars in the case of over-the-fence trades between neighbors?
That is a tough one, because state beef councils and the Beef Board can’t police every transaction. To some degree these collections depend on the integrity of our friends and neighbors.
4) What is the penalty if someone doesn’t pay the $1 per head assessment?
USDA can assess a civil penalty of up to $5,500 per transaction [the sale of one animal] plus late fees.
5) Why do you take $1 per head?
The amount was established by the Beef Act and approved by 79 percent beef producers voting in a referendum. By law, half of the dollar collected can remain in the state to be invested in qualified programs. The beef checkoff was designed to increase consumer demand for beef and to create opportunities to enhance producer profitability. Checkoff dollars are invested in: promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications. Some good examples of checkoff work are: the industry’s BSE preparedness and response; The Healthy Beef Cookbook; Beef Quality Assurance Program; Beefmobile and the National Beef Ambassador Program.
6) I’m a dairy producer - why do I pay $1 per head?
Although your primary business is producing milk, you also produce beef from the cows you send to market, or the male calves you sell. In fact, about 20 percent of the beef produced in the United States comes from dairy stock. Producers who helped write the Beef Act wanted to be certain that all producers who would benefit from increased beef demand would share in the cost of funding the program. Dairy producers are represented on state beef council boards and the Beef Board, which currently has 13 dairy members.
7) Can my state beef council get all of my checkoff money - why does some of it have to go to CBB? I think my state beef council and CBB do some of the same things – isn’t this a duplication of effort?
The act holds the answer to both of your questions: First, the act says that 50 cents may stay in the state to conduct qualified programs, but the other 50 cents must go to the Beef Board. Second, the act also created a funding authority – the Operating Committee – with representatives from the states and Beef Board to make sure efforts funded by the checkoff are coordinated.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.