Business digest — Jan. 17

Grady rancher reappointed

Wesley Grau of Grady was reappointed to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, the national board that administers the Beef Checkoff program, by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in late December. This will be the second three-year term for the Grady rancher, who was elected board chairman last August.

Grau and his family raise Charolais cattle in eastern New Mexico. He is an active member and past president of the NMCGA, and was named Cattleman of the Year by the Association in 2009.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products.