Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is back talking with Bob Drake about the Beef Checkoff. Drake has served as the president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, the last President of the old National Cattlemen’s Association, and vice president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
In the most recent episode of the Road to Rural Prosperity podcast hosted by Ron Hays, Drake is featured talking about his lifetime of service in the cattle industry.
Drake played a big role in the efforts to have the dollar head Beef Checkoff approved by a vote of cattle producers in the mid-1980s. While Drake said he is a strong supporter of the dollar head Beef Checkoff, it is time to move to the next level.
“We need desperately to increase the Checkoff,” Drake said. “The dollar of 1987, and that is when this was passed- the dollar was worth a dollar. Today that same dollar is worth 35 cents.”
This solution, Drake said, must come from the producer side of the equation.
“The majority of producers that I deal with are for an increase, but that is the people that understand how important it is,” Drake said.
Half of the dollar head Beef Checkoff goes to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Drake said, and the other goes to state beef councils.
“It is hard to do with 35 cents what you did with a dollar,” Drake said.
Looking into the future of the cattle industry, Drake said he sees the need to ensure producers stay involved and stay alert to what is happening around them. Political involvement has become increasingly important over the years, Drake said, as he urges individuals to participate in these conversations.
“If you don’t say your piece and present your case, somebody will present it for you,” Drake said.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
