Friday December 7 Ag News

Nebraska Farmers Union Announces New “Farm To Fitness” Program

At their 99th annual convention at the Midtown Holiday Inn, the Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) announced the launch of the Farm To Fitness Program as part of their ongoing efforts resulting from an agreement with the Humane Society of the United States to identify, expand and promote new markets for humanely-raised livestock products in Nebraska.

“Farm To Fitness connects health-minded consumers to local producers of nutritious, humanely-raised foods,” said Ben Gotschall, Lancaster County Farmers Union president.   “The program can include gyms promoting local producers to their members, personal trainers developing diets for their clients based on locally-sourced meats, and fitness centers providing a drop point for cooperatively-purchased food orders.”  Partner gyms, personal trainer profiles, and participating farmers will be promoted on the Farm To Fitness website (www.farmtofitness.com), which will feature other links and information for interested consumers.

“Farm to Fitness presents a great opportunity to provide quality food to people who have made an effort to increase their overall health,” said Jordan Barnes, a personal trainer in Lincoln.   “Access to this service enables people to make positive changes not only to their personal health but also to their local communities and the environment,” Barnes added.  “I believe that this is a first step to creating a market that, with enough support, could change how our food is produced.”

“The farm to Fitness program is a good match between food producers and food consumers,” said John Hansen, president of Nebraska Farmers Union.  “This collaborative effort is a win-win for everyone.  We have made a lot of progress this past year with our joint efforts with HSUS to identify new value-added markets that our livestock producers can utilize.”

“We at are very excited to be a part of the Farm to Fitness program,” said Heath Murray, co-owner and trainer at iThinkFit gym in Omaha.  “We take pride in providing our clients with proper workouts, supplementation, and now, some of the finest meats in the world.  This relationship is going to take our business to the next level.”

“This new program is clear evidence that the HSUS collaboration with the Nebraska Farmers Union is delivering results that are good for animals, good for farmers and good for consumers.  I congratulate John Hansen for his leadership in this effort.”  Stated Joe Maxwell, Director of Rural Development and Outreach for HSUS.



ASA Announces 2013 Officers and Committee Assignments

The Board of Directors of the American Soybean Association (ASA) has confirmed Danny Murphy from Canton, Miss., as President and Steve Wellman from Syracuse, Neb., as Chairman. Board members also elected Ray Gaesser from Corning, Iowa, to serve as First Vice President, an office that places Gaesser in line to be ASA President in 2014.

Also elected were Randy Mann from Auburn, Ky. as Secretary and Richard Wilkins from Greenwood, Del. as Treasurer. Four Vice Presidents were also elected: Bob Henry from Robinson, Kan.; Bob Worth from Lake Benton, Minn.; Wade Cowan from Brownfield, Texas; and Mark Jackson from Rose Hill, Iowa. These soybean farmer-leaders form the nine-member ASA Executive Committee. Elections were held on Friday, Dec. 7, during ASA’s winter Board of Director’s meeting in St. Louis.

"My goals include completing the 2012 Farm Bill, continuing to work with the other organizations in our soy family and impressing upon soybean farmers the need for and value of ASA’s representation in Washington, D.C.,” Murphy said. “ASA will continue working to get a Farm Bill done in the Lame Duck session or early next year – the drought this year should make it evident how critical crop insurance is to soybean farmers. And to meet the demand for food and feed that will be required by the expected world population of 9 billion people in 2050, U.S. soybean farmers will need to sustainably increase our production in the face of increased regulation, competition from other crops, unfounded questions on the safety of biotechnology, and slow approvals of new biotech traits.”

Following the elections, committee assignments were announced. Public Affairs Committee Chairman Ray Gaesser is joined by committee members Jim Andrew (Iowa), Sam Butler (Ala.), Ted Glaub (Ark.), Bill Gordon (Minn.), Bruce Hall (Va.), Mark Huston (Canada), Rob Joslin (Ohio), Eric Maupin (Tenn.), Matt McCrate (Mo.), Dave Poppens (S.D.), Robert Ross (Okla.), Joe Steinkamp (Ohio), Davie Stephens (Ky.), Andy Welden (Mich.), Wyatt Whitford (N.C.) and Richard Wilkins (Mid.-Atl.).

The Membership & Corporate Relations Committee Chairman is Bob Worth, with committee members Dennis Bogaards (Iowa), Ron Bunjer (Minn.), Dean Campbell (Ill.), Wade Cowan (Texas), Cory Devillier (La.), Ed Erickson (N.D.), Walter Godwin (Ga./Fla.), Tom Raffety (Mo.), John Rivers (S.C.), Dan Roe (Wis.) and Jeff Sollars (Ohio).

Bob Henry was appointed Chairman of the Trade Policy & International Affairs Committee. Committee members are Mike Cunningham (Ill.), Bret Davis (Ohio), Todd Du Mond (N.Y.), Mark Jackson (Iowa), Ron Kindred (Ill.), Lance Peterson (Minn.), John Heisdorffer (Iowa), Kevin Hoyer (Wis.), Alan Kemper (Ind.), Randy Mann (Ky.), Jim Miller (Neb.), Kevin Scott (S.D.) and Lawrence Sukalski (Minn.).

Richard Wilkins was appointed Chairman of the Finance Committee, with James Andrew (Iowa), Ron Bunjer (Minn.), Ray Gaesser (Iowa), Ted Glaub (Ark.), Jim Miller (Neb.) and Jeff Sollars (Ohio) serving as committee members.

The Board welcomed eight new members who are Bret Davis (Ohio), Cory Devillier (La.), Bill Gordon (Minn.), Mark Huston (Canada), John Rivers (S.C.), Dan Roe (Wis.), Joe Steinkamp (Ind.) and Davie Stephens (Ky.).

ASA also recognized retiring directors Joe Steiner (Ohio), Charles Cannatella (La.), Barb Overlie (Minn.), Kevin Marriott (Canada), M.D. Floyd (S.C.), Tim Goodenough (Wis.), Scott Fritz (Ind.) and Jack Trumbo (Ky.)



Leaders Elected at 94th IFB Meeting in Des Moines

Joe Heinrich of Maquoketa was re-elected vice president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) at the organization's 94th annual meeting in Des Moines. County delegates also re-elected two district directors to the board. They include Carlton Kjos, District 1, of Decorah and Phil Sundblad, District 3, of Albert City. The board also elected challenger Mark Buskohl of Grundy Center as director of District 5.

Heinrich was voted as vice president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation in 2011. He served as a member of the IFBF board of directors, representing District 6 in eastern Iowa. He and his family run a dairy and beef cow-calf farm with his nephew. Together, their diversified farm also grows corn, soybeans, oats and hay.

Before Heinrich was elected to the board in 2004, he was active in both county and state Farm Bureau activities, serving as Jackson County president, vice president, voting delegate, young farmer chair and on the state internal study committee. Active in his local church and community, Heinrich also served as Jackson County Dairy Association county president and on the Jackson County Extension Council.

Heinrich is a graduate of Kirkwood Community College. He and his wife, Shelley, have two daughters.

Re-elected board member Kjos represents District 1, which consists of 11 counties in northeast Iowa. He was first elected to the position in 2006. Carlton has served in numerous leadership capacities as a Farm Bureau member, which includes county president, vice president, voting delegate, internal study committee, AFBF voting delegate, PAC committee member, and chairman of the beef advisory committee.

Additionally, Kjos was a member of the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors and chairman of the Winneshiek County Planning and Zoning Commission. He was a board member of the Oneota Care Facility and served on the board of Spectrum Industries.

Kjos is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. He and wife, Cynthia, raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa, oats, and have a cow/calf herd. Their Winneshiek County farm has been in the family since 1862.

Sundblad, who also won re-election, represents District 3, which consists of 12 counties in northwest Iowa. He was first elected to the position in 2000. Before Sundblad was elected to the board in November 2000, he served in many leadership positions for the Buena Vista County Farm Bureau, including president, vice president, voting delegate and treasurer.

Sundblad currently serves as president of a locally-owned wind farm in Palo Alto County -- Crosswind Energy, LLC; chairman of the Food Board for Albert City Threshermen and Collectors; chairman of IOWA AgSTATE and is active in his local church. He and his wife, Brenda, have a corn and soybean operation. They have two children.

Newly-elected District 5 Board member Mark Buskohl represents District 5, which consists of 11 counties in central Iowa. Buskohl and his wife, Nancy, run a diversified cow, cattle, sheep, hay and grain farm near Grundy Center. Active in his local community and church, Buskhol has also served in many Farm Bureau leadership positions including county president, vice president and voting delegate. He most recently served as a member of the state internal study committee.

The IFBF delegates also elected five members to represent Iowa at the 2013 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) convention in Nashville, TN. They are Jim Boyer of Ringsted, David Hommel of Eldora, Kevin Krumwiede of Ledyard, Karen Seipold of Hastings and Kyle Holthaus of Waukon.

Guy Petersen of Wyoming (Jones County) was elected to a three-year term on the IFBF internal study committee. Dave Seil of Gowrie (Webster County) was elected to the internal study committee to complete a one-year term vacated by Mark Buskohl. The internal study committee serves as a liaison between the county Farm Bureau voting delegates and the state board of directors.



RMA Announces Expansion of Trend-Adjusted Yield Endorsement

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced that the "Trend-Adjusted APH" endorsement has been expanded into additional crops and locations for the 2013 crop year. It will be available in additional counties for soybeans, corn and wheat, and will also be expanded to canola, cotton, grain sorghum and rice in certain locations. This endorsement was first available in some soybean and corn counties for 2012 crops, and proved popular among farmers. Under the policy, a trend adjustment factor is estimated for each crop and county. This factor is equal to the estimated annual increase in yield, and is based on county average yields determined by the National Agricultural Statistics Service each year.

To be eligible for the Yield Option, the policyholder’s APH database must include at least one actual yield determined in one of the four most recent crop years. If the producer’s APH database has fewer than four actual yields within the previous 12 years, the adjustment is prorated. With this expansion, the trend-adjusted APH will be available for nearly all soybean farmers in 2013. For more information, contact your crop insurance agent.



Vilsack and Kirk Call on Russia to Suspend its new Testing Requirements for U.S. Meat Exports to Russia

United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk today issued the following statement in response to Russia's new requirements that U.S. beef and pork exports to Russia be tested and certified free of the feed additive ractopamine:

"The United States is very concerned that Russia has taken these actions, which appear to be inconsistent with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization.  The United States calls on Russia to suspend these new measures and restore market access for U.S. beef and pork products.  The United States sought, and Russia committed as part of its WTO accession package, to ensure that it adhered rigorously to WTO requirements and that it would use international standards unless it had a risk assessment to justify use of a more stringent standard.  Especially in light of its commitment to use international standards, this is an important opportunity for Russia to demonstrate that it takes its WTO commitments seriously."



Industry Partnership Seeks Significant High-Oleic Expansion

In a bold, strategic move to expand demand for U.S. soy, the national soy checkoff has authorized the formation of a major industry partnership aimed at growing the market for a promising, healthier soy oil.

"This is what the soy checkoff is all about -- maximizing profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers," says Vanessa Kummer, a former chair of the United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean farmer from North Dakota. "We have an opportunity to expand the acreage for high-oleic soybeans and strengthen U.S. soy's competitive position in the food and industrial sectors."

The promising new soy oil, high-oleic, features significantly increased oxidative stability which is critical for high heat applications like frying foods and also contains less saturated fats. This increased functionality will be important for both food and industrial customers.

The partnership accelerates the market development of high-oleic soybeans. It aims to have high-oleic soybeans available in maturity groups that cover up to 80 percent of U.S. soybean acres by 2020. Without the proposal, current industry projections put high-oleic soybeans at five to 10 percent of acres in 2020.

USB is partnering with the two seed companies with high-oleic varieties in the approval pipeline, DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto. The project outlines development of a broader range of maturity groups at a more rapid pace to reach the goal acreage and meet customer demands.

Partnerships with industry stakeholders aren't new for the checkoff. USB regularly partners with companies, such as John Deere and Goodyear, on projects that will benefit soybean farmers and maximize their profit potential.

Although a five-year project, checkoff farmer-leaders will annually review the project's impact on farmer profitability before making each year's financial commitments. Like all checkoff-funded activities, this project is subject to USDA approval, which is pending.

"This partnership will rapidly drive market adoption in key soybean-producing areas," adds Kummer. "By expanding high-oleic soy's availability, we are sending the right signals to the entire value chain and helping to develop new markets for our soybeans. This is a strategic move for our entire industry."



Oregon producer will chair board of farmer co-op CHS Inc.

Oregon farmer David Bielenberg has been elected chairman of the board of CHS Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSCP), the nation's leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company.

Bielenberg was selected during the 17-member board's yearly reorganization meeting which followed the company's 2012 annual meeting on Dec. 6.  He succeeds Jerry Hasnedl, a St. Hilaire, Minn., farmer who held the post during the past 12 months.

"This company has achieved unprecedented success in delivering value for its owners in recent years," Bielenberg said. "In the year ahead, the CHS Board of Directors will focus on continuing to deliver that for the producers and cooperatives that own CHS.  This will include maximizing the value of CHS ownership for producers and cooperatives  through a continued focus on our equity management program.

"In addition, we'll continue building on the company's success by driving our strategic momentum, growing enterprise value, maintaining an aggressive risk management approach and developing our skills as leaders."

Bielenberg has served a total of seven years on the CHS board, with terms from 2002-2006 and from 2009 to the present. During 2012, he was the board's assistant secretary-treasurer, chaired its Audit Committee and served on its Government Relations and board Executive committees. He operates a diverse agricultural operation near Silverton, Ore., which includes seed crops, vegetables, soft white wheat, greenhouse production and timberland.

He has held numerous cooperative and agricultural leadership roles including service as board member and president of Wilco Farmers Cooperative, Mt. Angel, Ore., and the East Valley Water District. Bielenberg holds a bachelor's of science degree in agricultural engineering from Oregon State University and is a graduate of the Texas A & M University executive program for agricultural producers. He completed the National Association of Corporate Directors comprehensive Director Professionalism course and received its Certificate of Director Education.

Also elected to one-year leadership terms were:
    Dennis Carlson, Bismarck, N.D., as first vice chairman; elected to the board in 2001 and previously was second vice chairman.
    Dan Schurr, LeClaire, Iowa, as secretary-treasurer; elected to the board in 2006 and previously was first vice chairman.
    Steve Fritel, Rugby, N.D., as second vice chairman; elected to the board in 2003 and previously was secretary-treasurer.
    Curt Eischens, Minneota, Minn., as assistant secretary-treasurer; elected to the board in 1990 and previously served as second vice chairman.

During the annual meeting, delegates elected David Johnsrud of Starbuck, Minn., to a three-year term on the CHS Board. He succeeds Michael Mulcahy of Waseca, Minn., who served nine years. Johnsrud farms in partnership with his brother and nephew. He has been a member of the board of directors of AgCountry Farm Credit Services since 2001, and currently serves as chairman. He also serves on the Minnesota Farm Credit Legislative Committee, with three years as chairman; was chairman of the Minnesota Farm Credit nominating committee for the AgriBank election in 2012, served on the Farmers Union Oil and Prairie Lake Co-op boards of directors from 1987 through 2007, with 15 years as board secretary; and was on the Mid-Minnesota Association Board, with terms as secretary and chairman, as well as on the State Directors' Association, with terms as treasurer. In 2010 he completed the Farm Credit Services Premier Governance Series and became a Certified Director and is a 2010 graduate of Minnesota Agricultural Rural Leadership Class V.

Members also re-elected Bielenberg, Fritel, David Kayser of Alexandria, S.D, and Don Anthony of Lexington, Neb., to three-year terms on the CHS Board.

Earnings, investments, global strategy position cooperative CHS for long-term success
Consistent strong financial performance, coupled with strategic domestic and global investments, have positioned CHS (NASDAQ: CHSCP) producer and co-op owners for long-term growth, leaders of the nation's largest cooperative reported at its annual meeting today.

"When it comes to the producers and cooperatives who own us, and the customers we serve around the world, we must not only invest in the future, but make sure we provide relevant options for doing business with us," said Carl Casale, CHS president and chief executive officer.

"In the last two years we've made three dozen major news announcements on investments and acquisitions on our owners' behalf that strengthen our presence at home and round the world in energy, grains, processing and food ingredients."

Casale and other leaders reported on 2012 results to more than 2,200 of the cooperative's owners and other guests at its annual meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

In November, CHS reported record net income of $1.26 billion for fiscal 2012 (Sept. 1, 2011 – Aug. 31, 2012) on revenues of $40.6 billion, setting a new mark for U.S. agriculture cooperatives. During fiscal 2013, CHS will return an estimated $600 million of its fiscal 2012 earnings to its owners in cash.

"When other forms of business achieve this level of profit, the benefits are shared by those who may not have a direct relationship with the company beyond its earnings," said Jerry Hasnedl, CHS Board chairman and a St. Hilaire, Minn., farmer. "But this business not only provides its owners with energy, crop inputs, grain marketing and more, it delivers a direct return that helps farmers, ranchers and local cooperatives invest in their own growth."

CHS Chief Financial Officer David Kastelic reported that in 2012 CHS "made key investments in current business operations and in new ventures that will drive long-term success while maintaining a healthy balance sheet that will allow the company to continue investing in the future."

Among those attending were more than 300 young farmers and ranchers who participated in the CHS New Leaders Forum which included a focus on trends in precision agriculture.

Highlights for fiscal 2012 included:
    Plans to acquire sole ownership of the McPherson, Kan., refinery in which it has long been majority owner. The facility also is the site of a $555 million coker project. CHS also continues to invest in its Laurel, Mont., refinery, as well as strengthening refined fuels supply and distribution in the northern tier of the U.S. and growing its propane, lubricants and renewable fuels businesses.
    Expanded global commodities presence with new offices in South Korea, Singapore and Paraguay, along with grain origination and export acquisitions and joint ventures in the Black Sea region and South America. Strengthened U.S. grain exports through expansion of and investments in its TEMCO joint venture in the Pacific Northwest and establishment of a Port of Houston, Texas, grain through-put agreement.
    Proposed construction of the first CHS nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facility, planned for Spiritwood, N.D., and an investment in a Texas clean fuels project that includes sole access to 700,000 tons of urea.
    Acquisition of an Israel-based soy foods and food ingredients business with two locations in that country, one in China and one in Nebraska. CHS also acquired a Creston, Iowa, soybean crushing plant focused on soy flour to supply the company's existing soy protein foods business.
    Stronger cooperative system alignment as five co-ops and a Canadian firm chose to join the CHS Country Operations retail business unit and CHS partnered with several local co-ops on a variety of grain, crop nutrients and energy projects.

CHS University Initiative on Cooperative Education Launched
CHS Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSCP), the nation's leading farmer-owned cooperative, announced today it will launch a $2 million CHS University Initiative on Cooperative Education program, a major investment in building understanding of the cooperative business model through education, development and practical experience.

"As a farmer-owned cooperative, CHS is committed to investing in the future of the cooperative system," said Jerry Hasnedl, CHS Board chairman and a St. Hilaire, Minn. farmer. "This exciting new initiative will enable the next generation to achieve new levels of success as farmers and ranchers in the global marketplace, as employees with challenging careers in agriculture and as contributing citizens of rural communities."     

The CHS University Initiative on Cooperative Education will support an extensive range of programs at universities and organizations across the country that integrate cooperative education into agribusiness curriculums, cooperative development and farm business studies. It will also support graduate-level cooperative education programs, soil, water and environmental studies, as well as technology-based learning programs.

"We are proud to launch the CHS University Initiative on Cooperative Education, which builds on more than eight decades of working with agricultural, cooperative and education entities, as well as the 20-year legacy of our Cooperative Education program," added William Nelson, president, CHS Foundation and vice president, CHS Corporate Citizenship. "

Partner universities and organizations include:  University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, The Ohio State University, North Dakota State University, University of Saskatchewan, Kansas State University, University of Idaho, Iowa State University, Cornell University and Southern Federation of Cooperatives.



25x'25 REsource: Standard Definition of Biomass Needed

With a new Congress coming to Washington next month, policy makers are presented with another significant opportunity to discuss, develop and implement a comprehensive, longstanding national energy plan. In any strategy aimed at meeting America's soaring energy demand, biomass must be considered a principal among the several renewable, sustainable solutions that make up the fastest growing domestic energy sector since 2006.

Still, the development of biomass has faced technical and commercial barriers, requiring significant investments in research and development, as well as infrastructure. The federal Renewable Fuel Standard, which remains under assault in Washington, must be retained and protected to ensure the continued developmental progress of fuel sources produced from farm and forestry residues, and, increasingly, purpose-grown biomass.

While there also has been criticism in some circles over the environmental impact of using biomass as an energy source, the 25x'25 Alliance believes that developing biomass under the 25x'25 Sustainability Principles insures that it can be harvested and used in a way that conserves, enhances and protects natural resources, as well as be economically viable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable.

However, there still remains another critical and, unfortunately, longstanding barrier to the unfettered development of biomass as a key energy resource: the variation in definition among legislative approaches to utilizing this resource.

A recent report issued by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan agency charged with providing lawmakers background information pertinent to legislative issues, addresses the conflicts that have arisen since 2004 over how various proposals determine eligible biomass.

Biomass is basically organic matter that can be converted into energy. While most legislation involving biomass has focused on encouraging the production of liquid fuels from corn, other efforts to promote the use of biomass for power generation have focused on wood, wood residues, and milling waste.

For more than 30 years, the term biomass has been a part of legislation enacted by Congress for various programs, but U.S. consumers, utility groups, refinery managers, and others have not fully adopted biomass as an energy resource, attributable in large part to the varying characterizations of biomass in proposed legislation.

For example, the RFS, as updated in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, specifically cites the use of biomass feedstocks such as crop residues; forest thinnings and solid residue remaining from forest product production; secondary annual crops planted on existing crop land; separated food and yard waste; and perennial grasses including switchgrass and miscanthus.

However, that RFS definition renders ineligible those same feedstocks if they come from idle cropland, naturally occurring forestland, federal lands, or former industrial land that could be producing energy crops. Blenders and refiners have no incentive or requirement to purchase biofuels produced from those sources. It prevents millions of acres of farm and forestlands from contributing to the nation's energy independence, costing rural jobs and income.

The restricted definition under the RFS also shrinks the environmental benefits available from forest biomass, including benefits to forests themselves from new investment in quality forest management. By excluding biomass from private forests as a tool in the U.S. clean energy strategy, the EISA definition negates a critical part of the solution to reducing the nation's dependence on foreign, high-carbon sources of fuel.

In fact, the limited EISA designation is one of at least four different definitions of qualifying forest biomass in federal statute, including a broader, more inclusive classification in the energy title of the now expired 2008 Farm Bill. The farm law more broadly defines renewable biomass as organic material available on a recurring basis. It also allows use of "materials, pre-commercial clippings or invasive species" from national forests and federal land.

There is certain to be discussion in the new, 113th Congress about energy, and stakeholders are encouraged to read the CRS report and be fully knowledgeable of the issue. They can then be prepared to informatively reach out to lawmakers and use the upcoming debate platforms to pursue a full and viable definition of biomass for energy. The use of biomass as an energy feedstock is a sustainable alternative to address U.S. energy security concerns, foreign oil dependence, rural economic development and diminishing sources of conventional energy.



R-CALF: Apparent Conflict of Interest in Checkoff

In a recent complaint sent to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Inspector General Phyllis Fong, R-CALF USA seeks to confirm the accuracy of a news article indicating that an officer of the Beef Checkoff Program's Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) also is an officer of an organization that receives Beef Checkoff Program funding.

"If our information is correct, this is an outrageous conflict of interest," R-CALF USA wrote in its complaint.

The complaint explained that a Nov. 19 news article stated that Weldon Wynn, vice chair of the CBB, had been elected vice chairman of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, an organization that R-CALF USA claims already receives funding from the Beef Checkoff Program.

The complaint alleges that the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) also is seeking a 2013 grant in the amount of $216,958 from the Beef Checkoff Program through the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA).

The complaint states it would be unconscionable for USDA to tolerate a CBB appointee that serves in a fiduciary capacity for an organization that is a recipient of Beef Checkoff Program funds.

"It would be equally unconscionable if USDA does not provide even rudimentary oversight over the Beef Checkoff Program to ensure that such a blatant conflict of interest does not occur.

"If our information is correct and Weldon Wynn serves both to decide who is to receive Beef Checkoff Program funds (in his official capacity as a CBB officer) as well as to benefit directly from his own decisions (by directly representing the interests of Checkoff funds recipient USFRA), then this is further evidence of the ongoing, insidious and systemic corruption within the Beef Checkoff Program that USDA has chosen not to address.

"Please confirm whether or not USDA is allowing a CBB official to also represent the interests of a Beef Checkoff Program fund recipient," the complaint concludes.

In 2011 R-CALF USA filed an earlier complaint regarding a conflict of interest in the Beef Checkoff Program after it learned that the Deputy Administrator for the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Craig Morris, Ph.D., who oversaw the Beef Checkoff Program, was then listed as a current board member for the International Stockmen's Education Foundation, an organization like the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance that receives funding from the Beef Checkoff Program.

"As far as we know the only action USDA took in response to our 2011 complaint was to remove Dr. Morris from the board of directors of the International Stockmen's Education Foundation," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.

"We are becoming increasingly frustrated with the recalcitrance of the USDA that knows full well there is deep-rooted corruption within the Beef Checkoff Program but refuses to do anything about it to protect cattle-producer contributions. All we know to do under these circumstances is to keep urging them to do what is right," Bullard added.