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Leesburg, Ohio | I guess I'm a day or two late in contributing here, but can't let it pass.
At first I got offended by your comments and accusations Rich, because I am one of those "crooked SOB's". But I know it's easy to get carried away with comments about something you have strong opinion on.
However, I cannot imagine a valid reason for anyone to make such a statement. I would be interested in any facts you know of that would support that statement, and I'm sure the current board members and USDA would also like to hear those facts.
Having been one of the Checkoff board members for two terms during the 90's, I have seen the budgets. I have seen the independent research data on getting our message across. And I can vouch for their validity. I don't know of any other way to "make" you believe me. I think if you really knew me, you would consider me to be an honest person trying to do the absolute best we can in our own business dealings, as well as actively promoting the industry we care passionately about and earn our living from.
The checkoff cannot and should not "control" the prices of our products. It will never prevent the market from acting. So no one can say that the checkoff will ever prevent the price of beef from going down. We can say that the checkoff kept prices from dropping as far as they might have otherwise. And that prices increased more than they would have otherwise. And that the BSE scare had alot less effect on our pocketbooks that it probably would have.
I guess I just wanted to say here that I appreciate you guys that are working on my behalf through the Checkoff to promote my product, research new ones, educate the public and industry about it, and defend it from attack. I can't do those things by myself, and without them getting done, our opponents in the marketplace and in the public eye can do us great harm.
As was said above, "The world is run by those who show up."
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Beef Checkoff
