National Beef Cattlemen’s Association CEO Colin Woodall is working to fight misinformation in the beef industry surrounding checkoff reform.
“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 says.
A handful of lawmakers, as well as other cattle groups, are supporting the bipartisan Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act (or “OFF” Act), which would bring reform to checkoff programs. Those groups say it would bring more transparency and control over checkoff contractors. NCBA is one of the cattle groups lobbying against the bill.
“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—10 of them representing the Federation of State Beef Councils, and 10 of them representing the Cattlemen’s Beef Board,” Woodall explains.
According to Woodall, a lot of effort is put into ensuring Checkoff money is spent where it is needed most.
