News Update

News Update
Sept. 12, 2006

Association Webcast Debuts Tonight

In an effort to reach more members with helpful information, the American Angus Association will begin hosting hour-long educational Webcasts the second Tuesday of each month, beginning at 8 p.m. Central time. The first such program is scheduled to begin tonight.

Viewers will need high-speed or DSL Internet connection to listen to and view the presentations. Visit www.angus.org/webcast/webcast.html to register for a free and private account prior to the start of the Webcast.

The series of educational Internet-based presentations will feature timely topics presented by Association staff. Tonight’s Webcast will feature Lou Ann Adams, Association director of information systems, discussing “Online tool features for members including AAA Login.”

The Webcasts will last approximately an hour and will include time for questions. Viewers can either submit their questions via the one-way chat or by phone. A phone number will be posted on the screen the night of the seminar.

Checkoff Task Force Makes Recommendations

An industry-wide beef checkoff task force has completed its work and has offered the industry four recommendations to enhance the current Beef Checkoff Program. The four recommendations from the task force include:

An opportunity to petition for a referendum. The beef referendum process be revised to provide producers the opportunity to petition every five years for a referendum on continuing the checkoff. Ten percent of beef producers signing the petition at county offices will trigger the USDA to conduct a vote within a year. This is similar to the soybean referendum model.
An adjustment of the checkoff rate. To assure strong demand-building initiatives for the beef industry in the future and to offset twenty years of inflation, adjust the per head checkoff rate to $2. The 50:50 split between state beef councils and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) would remain the same. The industry will need to approve any checkoff rate change through a referendum.
Enhanced understanding of the Federation of State Beef Councils. The Federation of State Beef Councils gives priority to enhancing its identity in order to strengthen beef industry stakeholder understanding of the Federation. Options such as changing its name from The Federation Division to The Beef Checkoff Federation could be considered
Making the checkoff more inclusive. Any reference to the charter date of established national non-profit industry-governed organizations be eliminated from definition (1260.113c) in the Beef Promotion and Research Order. This will make the checkoff program more inclusive.

The four recommendations were passed by at least a two-thirds vote, but not all were supported unanimously. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the American Farm Bureau Federation co-chaired the task force, which included representatives from various organizations, including National Milk Producers Federation, National Farmers Union (NFU), American Meat Institute (AMI), Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA), Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) and more.

According to NCBA, the task force’s recommendations will be considered by NCBA’s board of directors and membership at its annual meeting at in January.

More than $16.5M in Economic Impact Grants Awarded

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the award of $16,506,190 in Economic Impact Grants to improve public safety, health care and educational services in 30 states and the Western Pacific. The funds are provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program.

Many of the grants announced today fund equipment or facilities for providers of emergency services. In the five years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush Administration, through USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Program, has invested more than $1.3 billion and funded 3,556 individual projects or equipment purchases for first responders.

Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting www.rurdev.usda.gov.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.