R-CALF Suit Continues Against USDA, Others

R-CALF USA, continues its litigation against the USDA and the Montana Beef Council, requiring the MBC to send all of the collected dollars to the Beef Board.  From there the MBC gets a portion of the dollars submitted by producers to give a written ‘okay’ for the state council to utilize it.  This last year, R-CALF was able to expand that injunction to 14 additional states.  But the president-elect of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Jennifer Houston believes eventually all will be vindicated.

"We feel certain that when the actual facts of the case that we'll get a good decision,” Houston said.  “He stand with our state beef councils, that's the way the acting order was written, that's the way farmers and ranchers wanted it back in 1986 and I think that's still the way farmers and ranchers want it. They want local control, they want part to stay in their state."

Houston alleges that R-CALF is really after NCBA and its involvement with the Beef Checkoff, because of the merger of the National Cattlemen’s Association and the National Livestock & Meat Board, which was the home of the Beef Checkoff at the time, some years back.  Houston was actually around at the time when that merger happened, serving on the NLMB’s board.

"We're very proud of what we do as a contractor for Beef Checkoff. We take a lot of flack for it, but I feel very confident that we do a good job because we have oversight. So, I feel very confident we are doing a great job for people that pay the Checkoff."

Many years have passed since that merger took place and today, Houston she still believes it was the right thing to do.

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