By Richard Gebhart, chairman, Federation of State Beef Councils
C
Past Foretells Terrifi c Future for Grassroots Beef Promotion Programs
ELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, THE FED- eration of State Beef Councils has a proud history worth studying.
At the heart of the effort have been state beef coun-
cils — in my opinion the best possible marriage of accomplishment and grassroots participation. Collec- tively through the Federation, these state beef councils have given national programs a true producer-directed nucleus and direct accountability to the producers pay- ing into the programs. State beef councils began appearing in the mid-1950s.
Soon thereafter the National Beef Council was formed to move forward a national effort for beef promotion. When that organization was absorbed into the National Live Stock and Meat Board to form the Beef Industry Council in 1963, the country’s fi rst truly cooperative state/national beef marketing program was established. A little more than 20 years later state beef coun-
cils became a critical element in the development of a mandatory $1-per-head national Beef Checkoff Pro- gram. They saw the value of combining their efforts to maximize both effi ciency and power. When the new program began in 1986, these groups not only served as collection managers but sat at the decision-making table as well. Today more than 700 industry leaders serve on
boards of 45 Qualifi ed State Beef Councils directing state-based efforts, and more than 100 serve as directors for the Federation of State Beef Councils. The Federa- tion and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) each elect 10 representatives to sit on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, which helps direct funding of national and international Beef Checkoff Program-funded efforts. Furthermore, producer representatives on state beef
councils serve on committees with CBB representa- tives that provide direction for Beef Checkoff Program projects. These efforts are managed by beef producer organizations and are overseen by both the CBB and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
tscra.org Among the Federation’s state/national system fea-
tures: • Producer-directed — Producers in 45 states have
a hand in this effort. • Encourages producer access — Participation in the
industry at a local or state level makes sense. Those who get involved at the state level have an infl uence in national discussions. • Assures accountability — Regardless of organiza-
tion, producer leaders at the state and national levels hold their hired hands accountable and are in turn held accountable for their oversight and direction. • Inclusive — While states with the most beef pro-
duction have a signifi cant voice at the national level, they don’t operate the controls. Everyone has a voice and — true to a cattleman’s sense of fairness — there’s always serious deliberation. • Flexible — The Federation allows for changes as
needed to address consumer demand issues. • Deep pool of ideas — Because so many produc-
ers are involved, a wide variety of possible solutions to industry issues is evaluated. • Balanced — A national program is important, but
in surveys producers have stated they don’t want a sys- tem dictated from above. The Federation system, which relies on state representatives to provide both input and direction, strikes a proper state/national balance. • Time-tested — Over its 50 year history the Fed-
eration has taken steps producers requested to keep things on track. A decreasing cattle herd and greater competition will
require that industry leaders work hard in the future to assure a checkoff program is fl exible while remaining producer-directed, inclusive and successful. Thanks to the foresight of beef producer leaders who developed state checkoffs, created a Federation to combine their forces and helped establish a national Beef Checkoff Program, we’re poised to build on history. Together, we’re a formidable state and national team.
September 2013 The Cattleman 105
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