EXPOSING THE “OFF” ACT

By Stephen Diebel, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association second vice president and secretary/treasurer

An old tactic animal rights activists have used is to spout off misinformation with the hope that it will turn ranchers against ranchers. The beef industry faces enough daily challenges, and it’s time we put an end to assaults from inside our own walls.

We are under attack, and we need to dismantle their latest attempt — the “Opportunities for Fairness in Farming,” commonly known as the OFF Act. Moving through the halls of Congress in Washington, the OFF Act is disguised as a bill standing up for small ranchers by “cleaning up a slush fund of resources stolen from ranchers” — targeting the Beef Checkoff.

Its supporters include Animals Are Sentient Beings Inc., Attorneys for Animals, Four Paws, Mercy for Animals and other activists whose sole purpose is to end animal agriculture. Standing alongside these groups are organizations, like R-CALF, who claim to support the beef industry but have aligned themselves with the Humane Society of the United States, an organization with a long history of opposing the beef industry.

The truth is, the legislation pursues an agenda that, if implemented, would weaken or eliminate the Beef Checkoff, and be detrimental to the entire beef industry and small family ranches. This is not an issue upon which we need to be divided.

The Beef Checkoff is a result of our industry coming together and understanding a collective voice is stronger than an individual one. Cattle raisers overwhelmingly voted to implement the program as a part of the 1985 Farm Bill under the Beef Promotion and Research Act. Since, the Beef Checkoff has continually produced positive investment returns for every cattle producer. Latest numbers show an almost $12 returned for every $1 invested.

Need further proof? Look at more numbers from 2022.

According to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board’s annual report, more than 380 million consumers were reached through social media campaigns funded through Checkoff dollars. The program also worked with doctors, nurses and nutritionists to deliver beef nutrition research and toolkits. It ensured chefs had recipes in their hip pockets featuring healthy and creative beef menus, and provided beef education information to students in classrooms across the U.S. The Checkoff promoted and grew international market share, increasing beef exports by 5% in the first eight months of 2022, a value of $8.23 billion to the beef industry bottom line.

These results reaffirm that we are stronger together and are why the Checkoff remains so popular. In 2021, cattle raisers overwhelmingly denied a referendum to end the Checkoff, proving that cattle producers still believe in the program’s value.

The Checkoff has had its fair share of criticism over the years. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, challenges and questions about its legality need to stop. Checkoff funds are exclusively used to fund promotion, research and education, adhering to strict regulations from the Beef Promotion and Research Act, which prohibit funds from being used to influence government policy or action.

Here at home, these funds are collected by Texas Beef Council, a group of local state beef leaders. As required by the 1985 act, a portion of those funds stay in Texas and are overseen by the state council. The remaining funds are sent to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, another independent group made up of more than 100 of our fellow ranchers appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. These individuals review funding requests and grant dollars to well-qualified contractors, a process involving careful review of budgets and proposals. These activities also have additional USDA oversight.

For cattle raisers who want change, the best thing to do is get involved with the Texas Beef Council and Cattlemen’s Beef Board activities. Both are led by cattle raisers with ranching operations of all types and sizes.

If you ask me, it is a great check-and-balance structure. Make no mistake, the OFF Act is a blatant attack on critical research, education and promotion necessary for the beef industry’s future. I’m proud of the work of our Beef Checkoff, and I encourage all ranchers to stand together, support its efforts, oppose the OFF Act and other harmful attacks attempting to divide us. T C