South Dakota Beef Producers Garner Top Positions

PIERRE (February 17, 2008)—South Dakota beef producers returned from the recent Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Reno, NV in prime position to impact how the $1-per-head Beef Checkoff is utilized.
           Three South Dakotans were appointed to key positions on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and Federation of State Beef Councils (FSBC). Merrill Karlen, Jr., Oacoma, was reappointed to the CBB Operating Committee, Becky Walth, Glenham, was appointed to the Operating Committee as a representative from the FSBC, and Myron Williams, Wall, was appointed to the CBB Executive Committee.
          “These are important appointments,” says Barry Jennings, executive director of the South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC).  “The CBB Operating Committee is where the rubber meets the road in terms of the investment of checkoff dollars in different program areas.”  
          The CBB Operating Committee considers and acts on authorization requests to conduct programs funded from the Beef Board budget. The Executive Committee is responsible for carrying out Beef Board policies, conducting business and making the decisions necessary to administer the Act and Order between meetings of the full board.
          Karlen and Walth are current directors on the South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC), and Williams is a past director. Other South Dakotans serving on the CBB are Ed Blair, Vale, and Allen Walth, Glenham.
          “We continue to have excellent people on our SDBIC board who represent South Dakota producers on a national level,” says SDBIC President and Belvidere rancher Bob Fortune. Jennings echoes that sentiment: “These appointments illustrate the strength of leadership, knowledge, and respect South Dakota producers have on the national level.”
          The Cattle Industry Convention kicked off the planning process for investment of checkoff dollars in fiscal 2009, which gets underway October 1, 2008. Members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Federation of State Beef Councils participated in committee meetings to identify priorities for checkoff funding in their specific areas.
          Fortune says this year the focus at committee meetings was to determine how to leverage limited financial resources to best accomplish that committee’s goals. For example, Fortune sits on the Product Enhancement Committee, which, he says, will concentrate on checkoff-funded programs that address issues of convenience, customer satisfaction, and beef safety.
          Approximately 5,000 cattlemen and women attended the annual event held February 6-9. Among them were other South Dakotans serving on committees, including Jennings and SDBIC Directors Roger Gerdes, Miller, and Mike Stahly, Cavour. Others attending included SDBIC directors Nancy Stirling Neuhauser, Pierre, representing the American National CattleWomen, and Nancy Montross, DeSmet, and SDBIC Director of Nutrition Holly Swee.
          South Dakota businessman Eldon Roth was also honored during the Cattle Industry Convention with the Vision Award. Founder of Beef Products, Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of boneless lean beef, Roth was presented the award by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The award recognizes individuals in the cattle industry who have incorporated innovation into their operation in an effort to enhance not only their business but also the industry as a whole. Roth was named a Prime Promoter of Beef by the South Dakota Beef Industry Council in 2007.

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           The SDBIC collects and administers the $1 Beef Checkoff on cattle sold in South Dakota. Checkoff dollars are utilized strictly for promotion, education or research programs. Fifty cents of every dollar is directed to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board for programs on the national level. The SDBIC retains 50 cents, which is invested in additional national programs or in-state programs.
          The SDBIC is comprised of three representatives from eight agricultural organizations: SD Beef Breeds Council, SD Cattlemen’s Association, SD Cattlemen’s Auxiliary, SD CattleWomen, SD Farm Bureau Federation, SD Farmers Union, SD Livestock Auction Market Association, and SD Stockgrowers Association.