CALF_News_August_September_2019

34 CALF News • August | September 2019 • www.calfnews.net O klahoma rancher Chuck Coffey had a good career in teaching producers about managing rangeland, efficient stocking rates and other chores to boost their profit potential. Now, he’s part of the mega program that funds beef research, promotes beef to consumers and teaches them about beef production from pas- ture to plate. Coffey is the 2020 chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB), which collects the $1-per-head National Beef Checkoff. Simply put, the checkoff is the producer-funded marketing and research program designed to increase domestic and export beef demand. “There’s no doubt the checkoff is a great program that repays produc- ers many times over,” says Coffey, who ranches near Davis, Okla.“State Beef Councils retain half of each dollar they collect for marketing and research pro- grams in their state and other programs as identified by that council’s board. The USDA has oversight over the checkoff program.” Coffey grew up in the Texas Hill Country on a sheep and goat ranch. His 4-H and FFA training paid off. He attended Texas A&M University on a scholarship from the Houston Livestock Show. He earned bachelors and master’s degrees in rangeland ecology. “I met my wife, Ruth, at A&M. We moved to southern Oklahoma where I took a position at Murray State College in its ag program,” Coffey says.“We also began ranching in the Davis area on the edge of the Arbuckle Mountains.” He later worked at what was then the Noble Foundation, now the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Okla. He was primarily a consultant for local farmers and ranchers.“I advised them on fertilizer rates, stocking rates, land plans and other areas to help them develop forage and cattle plans,” he says. Coffey spent 20 years at Noble, work- ing closely with Dave Lalman, Ph.D., at Oklahoma State University. He then took early retirement and began ranch- ing full time. He and Ruth operate two separate ranches. Their terrain is similar to the flint hills and Osage country with roll- ing plains. He and Ruth run about 900 Angus and Angus-Hereford cross cows and terminal Charolais bulls. “Both ranches have big bluestem, little bluestem, Indiangrass and switch- grass native grasses and have never been plowed,” he says.“Cedar encroachment has been a problem and we use pre- scribed burns to help control it.” They raised two sons, Aaron and Seth, and a daughter, Sarah. All have degrees from OSU and will likely have more of an interest in the ranches down the road. Checkoff drives beef demand Active in the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Coffey has always sup- ported the national checkoff. He was appointed to the CBB by then Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. In his third year, Coffey was elected to its executive committee, en route to becoming chair- man this year. He speaks to and for some 800,000 producers who pay the $1-per- head checkoff every time cattle are sold. “I originally didn’t know all I should about the checkoff,” he says.“I looked at why it was needed 30 years ago. Beef demand was falling through the roof in the 1980s. For one reason or another, consumers cut back on eating beef. By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor CBB Chairman Sees Robust ROI in Beef Checkoff Chuck Coffey loves the $11-plus return producers receive for their $1 investment in the Beef Checkoff. Coffey ranch hands, Chuck, Ruth, and their children Sarah, Seth and Aaron.