Day Two: Debate at the OC

After a long day of presentations of about 40 proposals for FY08 checkoff funding yesterday, the 20 producer members of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee have opened debate on the proposals today. Specifically, the committee has ‘set aside’ 14 of the 40 proposals to debate at greater length today. Those address the following areas: Beefmobiles; Peer-to-Peer Producer Outreach; Nutrition & Issues Training of Industry Influencers; Consumer Advertising; Beef Safety Research; Product Enhancement Research; Nutrition Research; Market Research, National Beef Ambassador Program; Beef & Veal Quality Assurance; three Implementation proposals; and Producer Communications.

Debate this morning got under way with discussion about the Beefmobile program funded by the beef checkoff, ending in a 14-6 vote in favor of funding the program again in Fiscal 2008, at $295,000, as proposed by the National Livestock Producers Association (NLPA). A second proposal from NLPA for a $200,000 checkoff investment in a “Peer-to-Peer Producer Outreach” program that used a conference call format for sharing checkoff information with producers across the country, however, was defeated.  Discussion continues.