The Federation of State Beef Councils is a division of the National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA). Prior to a 1996 merger between the National Cattlemens Association and National Live Stock and Meat Board, the Federation was housed at the Beef Industry Council (BIC) of the Meat Board. The BIC was created by the Meat Board in 1963 to give particular focus to the promotion of beef in the consumer marketplace.
We're proud that the Federation has played a critical role in assuring grassroots involvement in beef promotion since 1963, according to Richard Gebhart, a beef producer from Rogers County, Okla., and current federation chairman. We look forward to the next 50 years of checkoff support through producer leadership, investment and involvement.
John Huston, a former BIC and federation executive and meat board president from 1980 to 1996, will speak at the general session I and lunch of the summer conference Aug. 8, and also at the Federation Forum that afternoon. In addition, he will visit with former colleagues at other events.
The federation was identified in the 1985 Beef Promotion Act and Order and is an important component of the current Beef Checkoff Program. It elects 10 members who serve, along with 10 members chosen by the Cattlemens Beef Board, on the 20-member Beef Promotion Operating Committee, which determines what projects the $1-per-head national Beef Checkoff will fund, and at what amounts, subject to approval from the Cattlemens Beef Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The federation also manages checkoff-funded programs through the state/national partnership.
Former Meat Board, BIC and NCBA Federation staffs, former and current state beef council executives and checkoff volunteers at the state and national levels are invited to attend the Aug. 8 events celebrating the Federation 50th Anniversary. For more information, contact Walt Barnhart at wbarnhart@beef.org or 303-850-3347. 
