Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is back visiting with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s CEO, Colin Woodall, about misinformation in the beef industry.
“There are people that believe that NCBA is the Checkoff, that we control the Checkoff and that we ultimately write our own checks out of the Checkoff funds, and that is not the way this program works,” Woodall said. “NCBA is one of nine groups that serve as a contractor. We are the largest contractor of the National Beef Checkoff, but each year we have to go to a group called the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, sometimes just called the ‘OC,’ which is made up of cattle producers- ten of them representing the Federation of State Beef Councils, and ten of them representing the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.”
Woodall said any ideas from the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. campaign to research must be pitched to the Beef Promotion Operating Committee for approval.
“Only if they like what we are pitching, will they authorize us to do that work and provide the funds to do that work,” Woodall said. “That work has to be audited. We audit it internally at NCBA, and it is audited and approved by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, and also by USDA. Every once in a while, the Office of Inspector General will come in and look at it too.”
Woodall said great effort is put forward into making sure those Checkoff dollars are being spent properly.
Regarding the Supreme Court recently letting California’s Proposition 12 stand, Woodall said other parts of the agriculture industry are next on the list.
“There is nothing that is going to stop them,” Woodall said. “This is part of their continued strategy to take us off just one little piece at a time.”
Many activist groups know that Proposition 12 is going to make production more difficult for pork producers, just as supporting more regulations with matters such as Waters of the U.S. will have the same negative impacts on the animal ag industry.
“This is the bigger strategy of animal activists looking at every little component they can find in order to squeeze us to the point where they ultimately get their goal, which is to reduce consumption of red meat or all meats among Americans and globally,” Woodall said.
Woodall also gave insight on how to handle these situations going forward as they become more frequent.
“We don’t have to be respectful anymore on this,” Woodall said. “This is a full-on fight.”
One example Woodall talked about as a way that animal activist groups are receiving support from consumers is through ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) donations.
“There was some information that was released just a couple of weeks ago that showed where the ASPCA only spends two percent of the money they generate off the commercials that every single one of your listeners has probably heard- only two percent of that money goes to help dogs, cats, and pets. The rest of it goes toward their activist agenda.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
