DENVER — The cattle industry is in the fight of its life, and members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are considering a structure change that would allow the nation’s largest cattle organization to quickly and efficiently address industry challenges without sacrificing grassroots input.
Recommended
The change is being recommended by producers and state organization executives from across the country who participated in the association’s governance task force.
The change includes development of a smaller board of directors, while retaining strong producer input through a new house of delegates.
The recommendation is being submitted for review and approval of the concept at the 2010 NCBA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
Board of directors
The task force is recommending a 29-member board of directors, 26 of whom are elected by a 250-vote house of delegates and three ex-officio non-voting members.
These include the Federation of State Beef Councils chair and vice-chair and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO. The house of delegates will include 100 votes from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association affiliates, 100 votes from state beef councils, and 50 votes from breed associations and other interested groups.
Committees of beef producers who share common interests (such as cow-calf operators, feeders or those interested in beef demand) will provide grassroots input to the house of delegates. The governance task force conducted a deliberate process in developing the recommendations, starting with listening sessions of producers when the group was established in July 2008.
Continue to propose
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association would continue, at the direction of its board, to propose beef demand building and protecting programs to the beef promotion operating committee. Representatives from all segments of the industry studied, debated and crafted the new structure recommendation.
The 21-member task force included both producer members and state organization staff interested in improving their national organization and the entire industry.
The task force’s recommendation will be submitted to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive committee in San Antonio, and be discussed by the full board of directors during its annual meeting Jan. 30.
Vote
If the board approves the direction, bylaw changes would be developed and voted on at the Summer Conference in Denver next July. Implementation of the new structure would begin upon approval of the bylaw changes by the board.
