In a wide-ranging interview on AgriTalk Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the beef checkoff should help small as well as large producers.

Discussing the opposition of part of the beef industry to a second checkoff he proposed, Vilsack noted that the government promotes exports.

But he added, “We also have to recognize that the smaller producers may not be able to compete very effectively in that export market or in that large-scale commercial market, so we’re trying to develop alternative markets for them, which are more local and more regional, more direct to consumer opportunities.

“That, too, requires research,” Vilsack said. “That, too, requires promotion and marketing. So it seems to me that the industry ought to be focused on creating the best of the opportunities outside the United States and making sure that you use the checkoff to build consensus and a cooperative spirit among beef producers, and hopefully that’ll happen in 2015.”

▪ FarmPolicy — Unofficial transcript of AgriTalk interview with Secretary Vilsack
▪ — Audio