Review of Checkoff Proposals Under Way

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee meeting is getting under way now, with a standing-room-only audience — some here to make presentations for proposed investment of checkoff dollars in Fiscal Year 2009 and other state beef council and beef industry representatives here to see how the committee will leverage a tight budget to the greatest extent possible.

Certainly there are more proposals than there are dollars in the checkoff budget to fund them. Even after earlier projecting a 6.6 percent year-on-year cut in the Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget for the coming year, assessment collections during the last few months and projected revenues for the coming year are tighting that belt even further — another $850,000. That means this committee will have a lot of tough decisions to make this week.

The Beef Board Executive Committee met last night and agreed to reduce the Board’s administrative budget by $100,000 and to drop one of three evaluation audits next year, saving another $25,000. That means the program cuts that the committee will need to make this week are about $725,000.  

This morning, checkoff contractors and subcontractors – including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Meat Importers Council of America, the U.S. Meat Export Federation, American National Cattlewomen, CBB Producer Communications and the National Livestock Producers Association — will present proposals for funding of checkoff projects for the year beginning Oct. 1, 2008. Committee members will be able to ask questions about those as they are presented, but will not debate them on merit until tomorrow morning, after which they’ll make their final recommendations. We’ll keep you posted here as the process moves along.