NCBA calls lawsuit allegations "without merit," and R-CALF a "front group for activists seeking to divide the industry, lessen beef demand and drive producers out of business."
The federal district court in Montana has granted a to expand its beef checkoff lawsuit against the USDA to include at least 13 states in addition to Montana.
How checkoffs are managed could be drastically changed if legislation supported by one of the largest animal rights groups is added and passed in the farm bill.
Agricultural officials this week confirmed the presence of the Longhorned tick in Benton County, Arkansas, increasing to four the number of states with confirmed sightings of the exotic Asian pest.
The Cattlemen's Beef Board will invest approximately $40.9 million into programs of beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications during 2020.
Current BQA programming is expanding with information to help producers implement best management practices that improve both quality grades and yield grades of beef carcasses.
Each $1 invested in the national beef checkoff returns $11.91 to producer profits, according to research conducted by Cornell University professor Harry M. Kaiser.
