Effort to make beef checkoff voluntary fails in the House Dylan Sherman BISMARCK – An attempt to make the state beef checkoff payments voluntary failed in the North Dakota House on Feb. 9 by a vote of 41 to 53. However, legislators said changes need to be made in the future. House Bill 1487 would have made the $1 beef checkoff paid to the state Beef Commission voluntary for local producers. Beef producers now pay a $1 per head checkoff on all beef sold in the U.S. and a second $1 per head to the state Beef Commission. Beef producers can request a refund for the state checkoff payments.