Checkoff Leaders Discuss Budget Challenges
Posted by Diane – June 5th, 2012
The Beef Promotion Operating Committee — comprising 10 members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and 10 members of the Federation of State Beef Councils — met via Webinar on May 31, during which it recommended a Beef Board program budget of $39.5 million for Fiscal Year 2013, which begins Oct. 1, 2012. The Beef Board Executive Committee ratified the Operating Committee’s actions in a conference call later on the same day.
Based on revenue projections for $1-per-head beef checkoff assessments in the coming year, the budget recommendation represents a decrease of 3.6 percent from the current year’s budget and marks the lowest budget in the history of the national Beef Checkoff Program, except for its inaugural year of collections.
In the coming months, the volunteer members of the Operating Committee — all checkoff-paying producers and importers themselves — will discuss strategic priorities for the checkoff to help prepare them for their meeting in September 2012. That’s when the Operating Committee will hear presentation of proposals for checkoff-funded programs in Fiscal 2013 and make decisions about how to invest the Beef Board revenues in ways they believe best leverage checkoff dollars to maintain strong confidence in the beef industry and demand for beef and beef products. At this point, the committee foresees the need to cut at least $4 million from proposed promotion, research, consumer and industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications programs.
Read the minutes from the Operating Committee Webinar at May 31 OC Webinar, or visit Operating Committee for information about programs approved for funding in the current fiscal year. For the minutes of the latest CBB Executive Committee meeting, visit May 2012 EC Meeting.
