Rapid City Journal - February 13, 2005
By the Journal Editorial Board
PIERRE - The next step in launching Gov. Mike Rounds' proposed SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef program is to pass state laws necessary to authorize and fund the program. On Thursday, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed SB 220, which would authorize the governor's plan to label beef as certified by the state as born, raised, fed and slaughtered in South Dakota.
Gov. Rounds first pitched the concept of the state establishing its own quality control program for beef and marketing it as premium beef during his campaign for governor in 2002. Now he has the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef program running and some producers have signed on with parts of their herds. The first beef products with the "SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™" label will be available to consumers later this year. Gov. Rounds has held informational meetings with interested ranchers, including the just-concluded Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo.
During last week's hearing, Agriculture Secretary Larry Gabriel said the state has hired a Chicago law firm to acquire a trademark for the "SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™" name. Gabriel told lawmakers that the establishment of quality controls that are certified by the state should result in higher prices for beef products with the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ label. The plan is to sell the meat to world markets that have been closed to U.S. beef because of recent mad cow disease scares in the U.S. and Canada.
Producers would pay a license fee to enter the program, and the fees would pay for administering and marketing the program, said Gabriel.
SB 220 would:
-- Specify that only beef produced by registered participants in the program may be sold inside and outside the state with the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef label.
-- Grant the Agriculture secretary authority to establish quality protocols, decide program requirements and license fees, and operate the program. The secretary also is granted authority to enforce the terms of the program.
-- Make unauthorized use of the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ trademark a felony.
-- Create the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef Fund for deposit of fees and revenues paid to the state for operating the program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to reopen the border to Canadian beef creates an opportunity for someone to establish procedures that guarantee beef quality and safety to American and foreign consumers. The creation of the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef program is just that opportunity for South Dakota cattle producers. We urge the Legislature to pass SB 220 and send it to the governor for his signature.
