North Dakota House rejects change to state beef checkoff The North Dakota House has rejected a bill that would have allowed beef producers to choose whether to pay a $1-per-head assessment to the state Beef Commission, favoring the current system where the $1 must be paid but can be refunded. 5:30 am, Feb. 19, 2021 × North Dakota Beef Commission Chairman Weston Dvorak registers healthcare professionals to receive meals during a Sept. 11, 2020, event put on by North Dakota beef groups. (Jenny Schlecht / Agweek) A one-word law change that would have made North Dakota's state-specific beef checkoff an opt-in rather than an opt-out program failed earlier this month.