Checkoff Program Reform – Organization for Competitive Markets

Bipartisan Demand for Checkoff Reform Renewed with Filing of U.S. Senate Legislation

OCM Staff — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 21:57:44 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Common ground was found among unlikely allies again as the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act, S. 935, was reintroduced by U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA). The Off Act would put an end to the most egregious abuses committed by the boards and contractors of the federally mandated commodity checkoff programs. Checkoff programs have been instrumental in the history of agricultural advertising. Famous campaigns, Read More ...

Radio 570 WNAX | Senators Introduce Amendment to Restrict Checkoff Programs

OCM Staff — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 20:45:14 +0000

WNAX By Tom Ritter Organization for Competitive Market members are backing an amendment they hope to get Senators to vote for in the 2018 farm bill. OCM Executive Director Joe Maxwell says it calls for reform to the checkoff program. He says it would make it more transparent for farmers and ranchers. He says the average producer is being hurt by not having a solid and transparent checkoff program in place. Maxwell says they tried to get their Read More ...

Meatingplace | Farm groups focus on Senate for checkoff reform

OCM Staff — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 20:41:29 +0000

Meatingplace By Rita Jane Gabbett The battle over whether commodity checkoff programs need reform within the context of the farm bill is not over. This week, 102 farm and food organizations sent a letter calling for the U.S. Senate to support inclusion of the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act, S. 741, in the Senate version of the farm bill. The legislation’s sponsors, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), plan to introduce their legislation as an amendment to Read More ...

Courts’ Findings That Checkoff Activities and Speech Are Those of the Federal Government

OCM Staff — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 17:44:34 +0000

There is a strong misconception among policymakers that checkoffs are producer dollars and that the producers should decide how those funds should be spent. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that checkoff activities and speech are those of the federal government.

Fowl Play Results in Stolen Identity

OCM Staff — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 17:44:25 +0000

By Vaughn Meyer, OCM Director In 2015, U.S. cattlemen were victim to the $20 billion dollar identity theft initiated in large part by that so-called superficial producer/devious packer organization known as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Many ranchers were just beginning to recover from the game rule changes which eliminated $400 plus cow/calf profits and created whopping $200 per carcass packer margins in less than six months after the death of U.S. County of Origin Labeling (COOL). Read More ...

OCM Opposes California’s Assembly Bill 243: California Beef Commission Law

OCM Staff — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:28:08 +0000

OCM strongly opposes California’s Assembly Bill 243 (AB 243), authored by Assemblymember Jim Cooper. AB 243 vastly amends the current process in place to manage the state’s mandatory beef checkoff program in ways that weaken California cattle producers’ standing and subjects them to uncapped taxation — for many, potentially without representation. We have joined with a diverse group of stakeholders, to include the farming, environmental, animal welfare, and good food movement communities to oppose this measure. View our joint Read More ...

Exploring the “My” in My Beef Checkoff

OCM Staff — Thu, 04 May 2017 21:42:30 +0000

By Vaughn Meyer with Angela Huffman In 1984, U.S. cattle producers voted to establish the Beef Checkoff Program as a means to promote their own product, U.S. beef. From the very beginning the beef checkoff was touted as a producer self-help program financed by all producers through a dollar per head assessment on every animal sold. From the very beginning cattle producers began questioning the underlying motive of their checkoff. It soon became apparent that importers, retailers and Read More ...

NCBA Attempts to Distract from Checkoff Abuse

Fred Stokes — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 11:35:11 +0000

By Fred Stokes Founding member, Organization for Competitive Markets In its recent propaganda piece being circulated in agriculture news outlets, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) tries to draw attention away from the growing outcry for checkoff program reform by making The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) a boogeyman. The truth is, farmers and ranchers want the corrupt, broken program reformed; more than 250,000 of them made their case to Congress earlier this week. Bipartisan legislation is Read More ...

Over 250,000 Farmers, Organizations, and Businesses Urge Congress to Pass Meaningful Checkoff Program Reform

OCM Staff — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 12:37:57 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 27, 2017 Media Contacts: Bill Bullard, 406-252-2516, billbullard@r-calfusa.com Angela Huffman, 614-390-7552, ahuffman@competitivemarkets.com Over 250,000 Farmers, Organizations, and Businesses Urge Congress to Pass Meaningful Checkoff Program Reform WASHINGTON, D.C. – In letters to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, more than 80 organizations, representing over 250,000 ranchers, farmers and businesses called on Congress to fix the federal government’s failed commodity checkoff tax programs by supporting recently introduced legislation that, when passed, will bring much Read More ...

Tri-State Livestock News | Deja-vu for Checkoff Legislation: If at first you don’t succeed…

OCM Staff — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 18:47:13 +0000

Tri-State Livestock News By Traci Eatherton In late March, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced new legislation, hoping to add what they call “much needed transparency and accountability” to checkoff programs. Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2017 (OFF Act), along with a companion bill, the Voluntary Checkoff Act, is being praised by R-CALF. According to Bill Bullard, R-CALF CEO, the two bills were introduced too late last session for a full consideration in Read More ...