A Utah rancher is challenging the stateâs âBeef Checkoffâ marketing effort, alleging in a lawsuit that the program, with its mandatory assessments, lacks transparency and promotes political advocacy, a violation of the First Amendment.
Evergreen Ranch, an independent cow-calf operation in Eden, filed the complaint against Utah Agriculture Commissioner LuAnn Adams, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in 3rd District Court in May.