National Beef Checkoff Petition Drive extended through October 3

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote Tuesday to the organizers of the National Beef Checkoff Petition Drive, granting them until October 3 to collect the necessary signatures calling for a producer vote of the National Beef Checkoff Program.

The petition drive began July 2, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Agriculture Department originally established a 12-month period for the collection of the required 88,269 signatures. Petition organizers had to rely on an online petition site, http://www.checkoffvote.com, which has collected less than 20,000 signatures.

Instead of the requested year-long extension, Vilsack granted a 60-day extension beyond the date of his letter. Vilsack wrote that this 60-day extension “reflects the prevailing will of producers.”

“We don’t have much time, but R-CALF USA (United Stockgrowers of America) will do everything it can to help the organizers achieve the required signatures by the new deadline,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.

–The Hagstrom Report