By Jacqui Fatka
Farm Progress
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed the constitutionality of the beef checkoff program in a challenge brought by the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund.
In 2020, a federal court ruled that the qualified state beef checkoff programs operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the UDSA do not violate the First Amendment and dismissed the lawsuit brought by R-CALF. In the suit, R-CALF USA alleged the use of industry assessments collected by state beef councils for advertising and promotional materials violated the First Amendment rights of beef producers.