Dear Sir,

It's a success story many private companies would envy: consumer confidence in the safety of the product remains high in the face of possible uncertainty; nearly nine of 10 consumers recognize the product's advertising theme; knowledge of the product's positive nutritional attributes is increasing; demand for the product has turned the corner and improved for three years after a nearly two decade slide.
Beef producers can be proud of their checkoff and the work it has done in the consumer marketplace. At the same time, livestock markets can be proud of the role they have played in seeing that funds for these programs get into the hands of state beef councils. And individual operators can be proud of their roles in helping develop, conduct and oversee these programs at the state and national levels.
We sit on boards, and we serve on committees. We review budgets and help design campaigns. We lend our services to special projects and assist in letting producers know how their checkoff dollars are spent.
In short, as livestock market operators we stand squarely behind our producer customers, as well as their self-help program that keeps consumers coming back to beef. We know that without beef demand, there is no demand
for cattle, and consequently no demand for our services.
Make no mistake; many of us are cattle producers, too. We not only collect the checkoff, we pay it as well. But it isn't about us; it's about the relationships we've established with our customers and our sincere desire to
see them succeed that keeps us supporting the checkoff program. It's an important tool in their — in our — arsenal to create demand for our animals and improve profitability in the production side of the cattle industry.
Litigation brought on by LMA leadership and WORC against our industry's checkoff program is counterproductive to what we're trying to achieve in
the marketplace. Worse, it's a tremendous waste of our time and financial resources. Not all auction markets have agreed with their efforts.
We all know the cattle industry needs a strong marketplace for its products. The checkoff helps strengthen the marketplace and create a stronger future for cattle producers and their families. Our efforts should be to build on our future, not destroy it.

Lemmy Wilson
Livestock Market Operator
Chairman, NCBA Livestock Marketing Council
Newport, Tennessee