Ranchers Sue to Revamp North Dakota Beef Commission Appointment Process

(Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – A new lawsuit filed by a group of independent North Dakota ranchers alleges that Gov. Kelly Armstrong and private associations have too much power over who serves on the North Dakota Beef Commission’s board.

The primary role of the Beef Commission is to decide how to use the money the state raises through checkoffs. Checkoffs are a small fee that ranchers pay on cattle sales. The proceeds are used for promoting beef consumption and research and education.

Beef producers pay $1 to the state and $1 to the federal government in checkoffs for each head of cattle they sell. These fees raised about $1.67 million in revenue for the Beef Commission last year, according to the commission’s 2024 annual report.

The Beef Commission’s nine-member board comprises three beef producers, one cattle feeder, one dairy farmer, one public livestock market representative and three at-large members.