The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting applications from any state cattle association or state general farm organization that wants to be certified as eligible to nominate beef, dairy, or veal producers or importers to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. Applications are due by March 16, 2017.
The primary considerations in determining the eligibility of state cattle associations or state general farm organizations to participate in making board nominations include:
- the association or organization represents a substantial number of producers that produce a substantial number of cattle in the state;
- the association or organization has a history of stability and permanency; and
- a primary or overriding purpose of the association or organization is to promote the economic welfare of cattle producers.
The primary consideration in determining the eligibility of importer organizations or associations to participate in making board nominations include:
- the number and type of members represented (i.e., beef or cattle importers, etc.);
- annual import volume in pounds of beef and beef products and/or the number of head of cattle;
- the stability and permanency of the importer organization or association;
- the number of years in existence; and
- the names of the countries of origin for cattle, beef, or beef products imported.
Any importer organization and state cattle or state general farm organization or association that wants to be certified to nominate importers, beef, dairy, or veal producer members to the board must complete an application for certification. The application can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion/beef. Upon review of the application, USDA will notify the organization or association whether or not it has been certified. Only organizations that are not currently certified to submit nominations must complete and submit an official application to AMS.
USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by its industry and is seeking additional nominating organizations to ensure a diverse set of candidates is nominated for all research and promotion boards.
For additional information regarding the certification process, contact Mike Dinkel, Agricultural Marketing Specialist, Research and Promotion Division, at (301) 352-7497 or via email at Michael.Dinkel@ams.usda.gov.
The board is authorized by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985. The Secretary of Agriculture selects the appointees nominated by certified organizations representing beef, veal, and dairy producers and importers.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity for participating stakeholders.