The Aug. 31 deadline to file for a cattle marketing levy refund has passed for another year in Saskatchewan.
It may tempting to get that money back, especially when a producer organization may stand for things that are counter to your beliefs.
However, fully appreciating the value of the cattle checkoff requires reflection on each individual producer’s contribution to national beef production in Canada.
The most obvious issue that speaks to the power of pooling individual producer dollars is country-of-origin labelling in the United States. The ability to battle these kinds of trade restrictions is inhibited without each individual’s check-off contribution.
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Effective lobbying and costly global trade wrangling does not happen for free. Canadian producers should be extremely proud of the trade efforts they have directed and funded.
However, it is important not to lose sight of the value created by the checkoff within the Canadian market.
Trade challenges will come and go, but continuous improvement of Canadian production practices, producer representation and domestic support for the best beef in the world is the solid foundation that provides short and long-term opportunities for Canadian cattle producers.
The clearest example of this is the Beef Cattle Research Council.
The council’s mandate is to determine research and development priorities for the Canadian beef cattle industry and administer national check-off funds allocated to re-search.
Government funding matches producer-directed producer dollars to ensure that the research is directly applicable to ranches, feedlots and packing houses.
This work is key to identifying improved production practices within the Canadian environment and Canadian marketplace. Not only does this use of check-off dollars bode well for future production efficiencies, but it should also help strengthen the relationship between Canadian consumers and those of us who produce beef cattle.
The council is essential to a strong production and marketing plan, especially as consumers demand trusted information on production practices.
Fifteen cents of every check-off dollar is directed toward the council. From a producer perspective, a stronger contribution with more applicable research seems like a sound investment to improve cattle production practices and improve domestic perception of our production and beef quality.
It is important to recognize that beef and cattle exports provide huge opportunities for production growth and profits, but the global value of Canadian beef starts locally.
Canadian pride in Canadian beef is key to our ability to compete internationally. Make sure your check-off dollars count.
