R-CALF USA: Oklahoma Event Notice
For Immediate Release:
October 12, 2017
Contact: Tatum Lee
E-mail: tatumlee@r-calfusa.com
Oklahoma Event Notice
Who: R-CALF USA
What: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard to make presentation: “How to Make the U.S. Cattle Industry Great Again.” Bullard will discuss his group’ successful lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for violating the U.S. Constitution in its administration of the Beef Checkoff Program in the state of Montana and how that decision may impact Oklahoma cattle producers. The meeting is open to the public.
When: Saturday, October 14, 2017: No host social begins at 5:30 p.m. No host dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. The R-CALF USA meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Where: McClintock Saloon & Chop House, 2227 Exchange Ave, Stockyards City, OK 73108
Description: In the wake of the controversial Oklahoma Beef Checkoff Referendum, area producers have invited national cattle industry trade association R-CALF USA to speak to Oklahoma cattle producers about the current state of their cattle industry.
R-CALF USA is the largest producer-only cattle trade association in the United States and was instrumental in passing mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) over a decade ago. It successfully blocked the mega-merger between JBS and the nation’s fourth largest beef packer, National Beef Packing Co. It stopped the USDA from imposing a mandatory animal identification system on U.S. feeder cattle. It successfully called for an investigation into the unprecedented cattle-price collapse that occurred in 2015, which is still ongoing. It recently won a federal district court decision that ruled the USDA’s administration of the National Beef Checkoff Program within the state of Montana was unconstitutional. The group also as a lawsuit pending against the USDA for violating the Meat Inspection Act by allowing meatpackers to mislabel imported beef with a USA label.
In a recent notice to its members, R-CALF USA wrote, “We recently learned an employee of the Oklahoma Beef Council embezzled $2.6 million over seven years in checkoff dollars that producers had paid to fund the council’s private speech. This indicates a lack of any meaningful oversight of producers’ dollars by the Oklahoma Beef Council.
“Amazingly, the NCBA affiliated Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association now claims the Oklahoma Beef Council doesn’t generate enough money to carry out its work so it has initiated a referendum to raise the Beef Checkoff tax in Oklahoma by another $1 per head. This means producers would be taxed $1 under the federal checkoff program and an additional $1 under the state program. It is reported that children are being encouraged to vote to raise this new tax.”
The meeting will discuss Oklahoma’s Beef Checkoff Referendum along with several other important issues impacting Oklahoma cattle producers.
Seating is limited so attendees must RSVP to tatumlee@r-calfusa.com
R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is the largest producer-only cattle trade association in the United States. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.