Beef Checkoff Program Upheld by Supreme Court

Springfield, IL – A Supreme Court decision upheld the national checkoff that supports the "Beef -- It's What's for Dinner" campaign. Maralee Johnson of the Illinois Beef Association hailed the decision. She says the advertising campaign has increased beef consumption 25 percent since 1997. However, the state's Livestock Marketing Board opposed the checkoff. A spokesman says the checkoff takes money from growers without giving them a chance to help decide how it's spent. The high court says the beef campaign is immune to a First Amendment challenge. Similar federal and state ad campaigns for milk, pork and cotton are being challenged.