A plan by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to implement a new, additional beef checkoff drew critcism and concerns last week from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Leaders of the NCBA, the largest contractor of the current beef checkoff program, said creating an entirely new checkoff would create inefficiencies and pile additional costs on cattle producers.

“From the reaction we have gotten from our producer-members and state affiliates in the past few days, they feel (creating a new checkoff program) is somewhat threatening,” said NCBA President Bob McCan, a Texas...