Reading Time: < 1 minute A plebiscite on a non-refundable cattle checkoff will be held this fall and the leadership of Alberta Beef Producers is urging its members to get out and vote. Currently, the provincial portion of the checkoff is voluntary and ABP refunds about $2.4 million yearly (mostly to feeders). If the checkoff is made non-refundable, most of […] Read more
Beef checkoff plebiscite coming in fall
End of refundable checkoff may be near
If successful, most of the $2 million refunded each year would go towards the creation of an industry development fund
Reading Time: 2 minutes The province has given the nod to a long-sought request for a plebiscite to make the cattle checkoff non-refundable. It’s hoped a province-wide vote on the contentious issue will be held this autumn, said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “It’s a very positive step towards us being able to have a plebiscite […] Read more
Beef checkoff going up April 1
Reading Time: < 1 minute The national beef checkoff will increase to $2.50 per head (from $1) effective April 1. The increase levy will be used to support research, market development and promotion. This increase was supported by provincial beef producers in every zone at the Alberta Beef Producers 2015 fall meetings. The increase to the national checkoff, along with […] Read more
Tax credit for canola checkoffs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Canola is reminding its members that they can get a tax credit on a portion of the checkoffs they paid in 2017. The Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit allows canola growers to claim the portion of the checkoff used to fund qualifying research. “Farmers are funding research into finding solutions to agronomic […] Read more
Producers vote down Ontario beef checkoff increase
A bid to increase the checkoff paid by Ontario’s beef farmers to Beef Farmers of Ontario was quashed when it failed to get the 66 per cent support it needed for approval. Why it matters: Beef Farmers of Ontario pulled from its reserves to fund at close-to $1 million deficit in 2017 and was planning […] Read more
Online town hall on cattle checkoff
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency will be hosting an online town hall on the cattle checkoff on Feb. 27. The agency, which oversees Canada Beef and the Beef Cattle Research Council, said the town hall will examine how the checkoff is collected, remitted and invested, and give “concrete examples of the return on investment for […] Read more
National cattle checkoff on its way up this spring
The national levy used to fund marketing and research is going up by $1.50 — the first increase since 2002
Reading Time: 3 minutes Come spring, more than the grass will be rising — the national cattle levy is going up $1.50 per head on April 1. “The impetus for us was the national beef strategy,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “The national beef strategy is a plan for us for the next five years […] Read more
Pulse levy may be rolled back
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Pulse Growers is considering cutting its checkoff to 0.75 per cent from the current rate of one per cent. If approved by its members at its AGM next month, the service fee levied on sales of pulses would go into effect on Aug. 1 (the start of the next crop year). The one per […] Read more
Long-running cattle checkoff battle may be coming to an end
An agreement on an industry development fund is key to a tentative deal between Alberta Beef Producers and cattle feeders
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not finalized yet, but the organizations representing cattle producers and feeders say they’re close to creating a fund to advance the province’s beef sector — and ending a nearly decade-long checkoff. “The Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund is a concept that would be able to be implemented with a non-refundable service charge,” said Rich […] Read more
Cattle organizations still talking — but no checkoff deal in sight
One proposal to resolve contentious issue of non-refundable checkoffs shot down in May and a new one is still being ‘analyzed’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Despite years of talks, the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association and Alberta Beef Producers still appear to be far apart in making a non-refundable provincial checkoff a reality. A new proposal was put on the table late last month, but while the chair of Alberta Beef Producers describes it as a major step forward, his counterpart […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
