Several farm groups back increasing support for the Washington Beef Commission by raising a per-head fee on cattle sales, though one cattlemen’s organization remains unalterably opposed.

State Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, introduced a bill Jan. 4 that would increase the check-off fee to $3 from $1.50.

The national Cattlemen’s Beef Board would still get 50 cents. The state commission would receive $2.50 instead of the current $1.

The Washington Cattlemen’s Association, the Washington State Dairy Federation, the Washington Farm Bureau and the Washington Cattle Feeders Association endorse the bill.

The feeders association supported hiking the fee to $5, Executive Director Jack Field said. “It’s the only program we have out there promoting our program,” he said.

The fee was last raised in 2000. The Cattle Producers of Washington has opposed previous bills to hike the fee and will again this year, the group’s president, Josslin Schoesler, said.

Ranchers are being asked to pay for promotions that benefit imported beef as much as U.S. beef, she said.

“We don’t want to defund the Beef Commission, but quit asking for more money,” she said. “It’s a tax.”

The $1.50 per-head fee raised $1.77 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. The state commission kept $1.16 million, while the national board received about $610,000.

The Beef Commission promotes beef and the cattle-care standards of the ranching industry. It uses social media, digital advertising and “paid editorial content,” according to its annual report.

In one promotion, it invited 10 “media influences” to spend two days learning about beef and ranching, providing “Instagram friendly visuals for the influences to share with their followers.”

With a bigger budget, the Beef Commission could advertise more on streaming television channels, Executive Director Patti Brumbach said.

“What the industry wants from us is to educate consumers about beef and modern beef production,” she said. “We just can’t get enough eyes and ears on the message.”

The Washington Cattlemen’s Association polled its members and found support for raising the fee, the group’s lobbyist, Mark Streuli, said.

“They want to invest more in promoting their product. It’s been a lot of years since the last fee increase and inflation has taken a toll,” he said.

Shewmake’s bill would exempt from the fee increase the sale of low-value newly born male calves and infertile female calves from dairies.

Washington State Dairy Federation policy director Jay Gordon said dairies are increasingly breeding beef cattle.

“That’s really been a big, quiet change,” he said. “We’ve got more dairies in the beef business and the dairy business.”

Lawmakers considered raising the fee in 2016. The bill failed, however, despite industry support. One legislator said he received hundreds of emails from ranchers opposing the increase.

“It wasn’t necessary then. It’s not necessary now,” Schoesler said. “Inflation has hit us harder than it’s hit them.”

Shewmake’s legislation, Senate Bill 5150, calls for the Beef Commission to report to lawmakers annually its revenue, expenses and the reason money was spent.

The commission currently files annual reports listing expenditure under such categories as promotion, consumer information and administration. The report does not further break down spending.