Missouri cattle producers traveled from across the state on Wednesday to voice their opinions on a new state beef checkoff program at a public hearing held by the Missouri Department of Agriculture in Sedalia. The check off would mean that cattle producers would pay a dollar a head for every beef they sell.
Over 200 people packed a room at the Missouri Electric Cooperative Building at the State Fairgrounds.
Cattle producers and livestock auction representatives who testified in opposition said they had talked to hundreds of beef producers and nearly all of them oppose the checkoff.
"And I can tell you this, if the Missouri Department of Ag would have allowed written testimony against this thing, opposition would have been ten-fold," said Jeff Jones, a Callaway County beef producer. "I've talked to over 100 producers in my area, and not one is for this," he said.
There are 53,000 Missouri cattle producers who in total pay over $2 million each year into the federal beef checkoff, which allocates 50 cents per each dollar to the state for marketing and research. This proposed state beef checkoff would in effect double that amount as producers would pay $1 per head to the state and $1 per head to the federal government.
In addition to the beef producers at the hearing, the Missouri Rural Crisis Center testified that over 700 beef producers have sent in petitions opposing the checkoff in the last nine days.
"The checkoff program isn't really working very well," said Brian Smith of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center. "Since it began in the 1980s beef consumption has dropped by 31 percent. We have lost 40 percent of our beef producers. You would think we could hope to at least retain our numbers if not attract more through the marketing they are doing."
Conversely, Mark Russell of the Missouri Beef Industry Council feels it is that decrease that is spurring the need for an increase in funds.
"There are fewer cattle in Missouri now than there were when the program began in 1988, and fewer cattle means fewer dollars," Russell said. "We need those funds to promote the idea that beef is a safe, nutritious food."
According to Russell the most important thing that came from the public hearing is that producers want the ability to vote on the issue themselves, not have the government make the decision for them.
To date, according to the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, the Department of Agriculture has refused to hold a transparent, public rulemaking process and is not allowing any written testimony.
A statement from the Missouri Department of Agriculture stated that Wednesday's hearing "allowed Director of Agriculture Richard Fordyce to hear input from Missouri beef cattle producers. Based on the testimony shared at the hearing, Director Fordyce will decide whether or not to approve the petition to conduct a referendum."
Further, if it is determined that a referendum should be held, cattle producers will be required to register in order to vote for or against the referendum. If it is approved, the checkoff will begin in July.