Archive for Checkoff
Federal Judge Agrees with R-CALF USA’s Arguments on Beef Checkoff Being Unconstitutional, Recommends Halting Program
Great Falls, Mont. – A Montana federal judge yesterday released an initial ruling agreeing with R-CALF USA that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beef Checkoff program violates the First Amendment. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston recommended that the district court halt the transfer of money to the Montana Beef Council,…
Beef Checkoff Battle Heats Up in Federal Court
Billings, Mont. – A flurry of motions were filed recently in the lawsuit filed by R-CALF USA against the national beef checkoff program (Beef Checkoff). The group’s lawsuit was filed May 2 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The initial complaint alleges the government, represented by…
R-CALF USA’s Attorneys Seek Quick End to Beef Checkoff Lawsuit
Billings, Mont. – In response to the government’s August motion to dismiss or stay the lawsuit R-CALF USA filed against the national beef checkoff program (Beef Checkoff) in May, late yesterday R-CALF USA’s attorneys asked the court to award R-CALF USA summary judgment and immediately end the program’s unconstitutional taxation…
Supporters Urge Congress to Take Action and Pass Meaningful Commodity Checkoff Program Reform
Joint News Release Contact: Bill Bullard (406-252-2516) Fred Stokes: (601-527-2459) July 14, 2016 Washington, DC – More than 140 organizations, ranchers, farmers and businesses applaud Senators Booker and Lee for filing legislation that, when passed, will stop commodity checkoff program abuses. Yesterday, the Senators filed the Commodity Checkoff Program Improvement…
Independent Cattle Ranchers Sue Federal Dept. of Agriculture Over Beef Checkoff Program
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R-CALF USA: NCBA’s New Proposal Fails to Fix the Broken Cattle Tax
R-CALF USA: NCBA’s New Proposal Fails to Fix the Broken Cattle Tax January 20, 2015 Billings, Mont. – Despite the departures of both R-CALF USA and the National Farmers Union from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sanctioned Beef Checkoff Enhancement Working Group, all of the checkoff contractors, led by…
R-CALF USA: Vilsack Wrong to Blame Producers for His Checkoff Failure
December 19, 2014 Billings, Mont. – In an interview with DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reportedly announced that he was abandoning his plans to seek reforms to the national Beef Checkoff Program. Vilsack had issued a formal notice in the Federal Register on November 10,…
Group Informs Ag Secretary of Its Members’ Checkoff Policies
November 3, 2014 Billings, Mont. – In a letter sent today to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, R-CALF USA provided a list of primary and secondary elements to be included in any future beef checkoff program. The letter is intended to address the Secretary’s recent announcement that he plans to establish…
Producer-Paid Checkoffs Help Meatpacking Lobby Sustain COOL Fight
September 15, 2014 Billings, Mont. – On Friday the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the American Meat Institute (AMI) and other foreign and domestic meatpacking lobby groups rekindled their ongoing court fight to strike down the United States’ country of origin labeling (COOL) law by…