In 2018, the beef industry magazine Drovers issued a poll asking ranchers if they believed the beef checkoff helped stimulate beef demand and support their cattle business. More than half the respondents said “no,” and the comments section filled with ranchers irate about the mismanaged funds, collusive relationships, and corporate greed they had witnessed with the beef checkoff.

Drovers quickly removed the poll from their website, but screenshots of all of the deleted comments are available here.