Voting underway on state beef checkoff

Posted on February 20, 2015

Illinois cattle producers vote on a state checkoff proposal during the 2015 Illinois Beef Expo in Springfield. (Carrie Muehling/WJBC

By Carrie Muehling

SPRINGFIELD – Many cattle producers attending this year’s Illinois Beef Expo at the Illinois State Fairgrounds are wearing “I Voted Yes” stickers.

They are referring to a referendum that proposes to restart a beef checkoff at the state level.

“We are endorsing a strong yes vote as are many of our Vote Yes Coalition members, including the Illinois Farm Bureau and a number of other ag organizations that represent producers in Illinois,” said Reid Blossom, executive vice president of the Illinois Beef Association. “This is a program that poses a lot of potential to help our producers to train the next generation of producers and also to promote our product.”

The Illinois Beef Checkoff would be a voluntary 50-cent assessment on all beef cattle collected in Illinois at the time of sale. It would be in addition to a checkoff already in place at the federal level. Blossom said a state checkoff could help to specifically promote and advertise Illinois raised beef, which would be good for producers and consumers alike.

“Which would be a high benefit to a lot of our cattlemen, and also a real help and aid to a lot of consumers in Illinois who want to buy locally produced beef. There’s just not that supply or marketing system out there to direct them to the right channel,” said Blossom.

Blossom said in addition to the opportunity to vote onsite during the Illinois Beef Expo this week in Springfield, cattle producers can also vote at local USDA Farm Service Agency offices for the remainder of this week, or they can cast a ballot by mail until February 27. The Illinois Beef Expo wraps up Sunday in Springfield.

Carrie Muehling can be reached at [email protected].

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