Marketing of Wyoming Lean Beef

Wyo. Stat. Ann. tit. 11, ch. 40
in effect

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-101 Definitions.

(a) As used in this chapter: (i) "Committee" means the Wyoming lean beef committee created by W.S. 11-40-102; (ii) "Geographically exclusive license" means a license which gives the licensee the sole right to market Wyoming lean beef at retail, or at wholesale for resale at retail, within the geographic market specified by the committee.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-102 Creation of committee; composition; administrative support; compensation; officers; conflict of interest.

(a) There is created the Wyoming lean beef committee. The initial membership of the committee shall consist of eleven (11) members of whom five (5) shall be members of the faculty of the University of Wyoming, one (1) shall be a person with professional training and experience related to human health and diet, designated by the president of the University of Wyoming, five (5) shall be appointed by the governor of whom three (3) shall be producers of beef cattle, one (1) shall be a person with training and experience in finance, one (1) shall be a person with training and experience in marketing and one (1) shall be the director of the department of agriculture or his designee serving ex officio. The members appointed by the governor shall serve three (3) year terms. The members designated by the president of the university shall serve at his pleasure. (b) Administrative support for the committee shall be provided by and budgeted for by the University of Wyoming and thereafter it shall be the responsibility of the department of agriculture. (c) State employees serving on the committee shall receive their normal compensation from their agency. Other members of the committee shall receive no compensation until the calendar year commencing after the calendar year in which the state first receives one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) in royalty for the use of the Wyoming lean beef trademark at which time they shall begin receiving mileage and per diem at the same rate as state legislators. (d) Every person or organization who pays royalty for more than five hundred (500) head of cattle for the use of the Wyoming lean beef trademark or trade name shall be entitled to designate one (1) nonvoting member of the Wyoming lean beef committee. This right shall be extended for the balance of the year in which necessary royalty is first paid and for the year following any year in which the necessary royalty is paid. Committee members designated under this subsection shall receive no compensation from the state for their services. (e) The committee shall annually select from among its members a chairman and other officers deemed necessary. (f) If any member of the committee has applied for or received a license to market Wyoming lean beef or has a financial interest in any organization which has applied for or received a license to market Wyoming lean beef he shall disclose that interest at this first appropriate time during an open meeting of the committee and shall not vote on the issuance of that license, on the issuance of any license for a geographically exclusive area for which he or his organization is also seeking a geographically exclusive license, or any other matter uniquely affecting his license.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-103 Powers and duties of the committee.

(a) The committee shall: (i) Promulgate regulations establishing quality standards as provided by W.S. 11-40-104 and modify these standards from time to time as necessary; (ii) Establish regulations and procedures for licensing persons to use the trademark or trade name "Wyoming lean beef"; (iii) Enforce the quality standards for Wyoming lean beef; (iv) As soon as possible register in the name of the state of Wyoming a trademark or trade name using the words "Wyoming lean beef" with the United States government and with any state where such registration appears prudent; (v) Take any actions necessary to collect the royalties due the state of Wyoming for the use of the "Wyoming lean beef" trademark or trade name; and (vi) Register labels to be used on Wyoming lean beef with appropriate agencies of the United States government and any state or foreign country. (b) The committee may: (i) Make recommendations to the University of Wyoming for further research concerning Wyoming lean beef; (ii) Conduct and coordinate advertising and promotion campaigns as provided by W.S. 11-40-107; (iii) Take any action necessary to prevent infringement of the trademark or trade name by others; (iv) Authorize the use of public claims that adherence to the quality standards for Wyoming lean beef is certified to by the state of Wyoming and authorize the use of symbols associated with the state of Wyoming including the great seal of the state of Wyoming in connection with the claims; (v) Receive and disburse funds for advertising, promotion and product development as provided by this chapter and accept voluntary contributions and grants for these purposes; (vi) Contract with other state agencies, agencies of the United States government and private parties to carry out the purposes of this chapter; and (vii) Sue and be sued as a committee without individual liability for acts relating to the powers and duties of the committee.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-104 Standards for Wyoming lean beef.

(a) The committee shall establish quality standards for Wyoming lean beef in accordance with the following: (i) Cattle qualifying shall graze the summer before slaughter in Wyoming. The committee may increase the proportion of time the cattle must live in Wyoming, specifying that particular portions of their lives must be spent in Wyoming and may impose altitude requirements and geographic restrictions in whole or in part on any time spent outside Wyoming. The committee shall not impose any altitude requirement on cattle within Wyoming. For the purposes of these standards, cattle shall be deemed to be living within Wyoming even though the pasture where the cattle are grazing is outside Wyoming if those cattle: (A) Have free access to land within Wyoming; or (B) Are in a pasture located not more than twenty-five (25) miles from the Wyoming border and the owner of the cattle is a Wyoming resident who physically resides within Wyoming and has his principal place of business in Wyoming. (ii) Cattle qualifying shall be primarily grass fed cattle; (iii) Cattle shall not be held in close confinement except for short periods in connection with operations necessary in the management of the cattle, including but not limited to calving, branding, vaccinating, weaning, transportation and slaughter; (iv) Cattle qualifying shall have a hot carcass weight of at least four hundred (400) pounds. The committee may set a lighter minimum weight; (v) Cattle qualifying shall have an untrimmed fat depth over the rib eye muscle at the twelfth (12th) rib of less than or equal to three tenths (0.3) of one inch. The committee may decrease the amount of fat permitted under this standard and may establish additional standards for fat. Except for ground beef, the committee shall not establish any fat standard that would permit more than three tenths (0.3) of one inch of untrimmed fat over the rib eye muscle of the twelfth (12th) rib; (vi) Carcasses shall be electrically stimulated within one (1) hour after stunning. The committee may permit other treatments with similar effect in lieu of electrical stimulation and may eliminate this requirement if it no longer appears necessary to ensure adequate consumer acceptance; (vii) Cattle shall not exceed thirty-two (32) months in age. The committee may vary this standard or prescribe in its place a maturity level that is to be judged from the characteristics of the carcass. The committee may also establish a minimum age; (viii) Cattle shall not be given any growth promoting hormone; (ix) Cattle shall not be given subtherapeutic levels of any antibiotic. This standard shall not be construed as prohibiting the use of therapeutic levels of any antibiotic for therapeutic purposes. (b) For ground beef the committee shall establish separate standards which shall: (i) Provide for a fat content of twenty percent (20%) or less. The committee may establish a lower fat content standard; (ii) Include the same standards as are established pursuant to paragraphs (a)(i) through (iii), (viii) and (ix) of this section, but need not be consistent with the standards established pursuant to the balance of subsection (a) of this section; (iii) Provide any other standards that may be necessary for ground beef. (c) The committee may establish any additional quality standard which may be useful in: (i) Improving the quality of the product; (ii) Gaining consumer acceptance of the product; (iii) Assisting in the enforcement of the remaining standards; and (iv) Promoting human health and welfare through improvements in Wyoming lean beef.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-105 Licensing; use of trademark; royalty.

(a) The committee may license any person to market Wyoming lean beef and use the label, trademark or trade name "Wyoming lean beef" who: (i) Pays an annual licensing fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00); (ii) Pays an additional annual licensing fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each state or fraction thereof for which the licensee has obtained a geographically exclusive license; (iii) Agrees to pay the royalty required by subsection (h) of this section; (iv) Agrees to pay any additional royalty that may be established to support advertising and promotion programs; (v) Agrees to abide by the standards established for Wyoming lean beef and to market no beef as Wyoming lean beef that fails to meet the standards; (vi) Agrees to abide by applicable state and federal standards relating to public health and the slaughtering and preparation of meat for sale; (vii) Agrees to abide by any other terms of the license the committee deems appropriate provided that the committee may make no term for the purpose of creating a monopoly in the marketing of Wyoming lean beef. (b) The committee may give geographically exclusive licenses for markets outside Wyoming provided that the market shall not exceed the area the licensee can reasonably be expected to serve within a reasonable period of time and may be revoked in whole or in part for failure of the licensee to adequately supply the market with Wyoming lean beef. The committee may set specific volume of sales targets for the license to meet in order to retain a geographically exclusive license. If more than one (1) person applies for a geographically exclusive license for the same area the committee may divide the area or choose between the persons based on the criteria set forth in subsection (d) of this section. (c) The issuance of a geographically exclusive license for a particular geographic area shall not prohibit other licensees from selling Wyoming lean beef directly to residents of the geographic area if the sales are for consumption and not for resale and are made within Wyoming or in response to mail or telephone solicitation originating within Wyoming or in response to an advertisement in a publication of national circulation. No geographically exclusive license shall include any of the state of Wyoming. No geographically exclusive license shall include more than twenty (20) of the states of the United States until the licensee has actually served the market within the states for which he is licensed. (d) The committee may reject, restrict, accept, or accept in part an application for a license to market Wyoming lean beef, or may choose between competing applicants based upon: (i) The financial strength of the applicant; (ii) The marketing expertise of the applicant and his specific marketing plans; (iii) The access of the applicant to a supply of Wyoming lean beef; (iv) The prior experience of the applicant in relevant businesses; and (v) Any other standards or criteria the committee deems appropriate. (e) The committee may deny, revoke, suspend or limit the license of anyone who: (i) Fails to abide by the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or any terms of the license; (ii) Is convicted of violating the public health laws of the United States or any state; (iii) Is convicted or has been convicted of any felony; (iv) Willfully or unintentionally but repeatedly markets beef as Wyoming lean beef which does not meet the quality standards for Wyoming lean beef. (f) Any retailer who is selling Wyoming lean beef furnished by any person licensed to sell Wyoming lean beef may use the "Wyoming lean beef" trademark or trade name in connection with any advertising or promotion of that beef. The committee may forbid licensees to furnish any Wyoming lean beef to any retailer who labels any other beef as Wyoming lean beef. (g) The committee may seek through legal action monetary damages from any person labeling or selling as Wyoming lean beef any beef which does not meet the quality standards for Wyoming lean beef. Damages recovered may be used to reimburse the state for any expenses it may have incurred in connection with the case and may be used for advertising and promotion to overcome any damage to the public image of Wyoming lean beef. (h) The committee shall annually set the royalty to be paid by licensees which shall be not less than fifty cents ($.50) per head and not more than five dollars ($5.00) per head and shall be designed to defray the expenses of the committee, the expenses of the inspection and enforcement program and give the state of Wyoming a return of eight percent (8%) per annum on the monies appropriated for the marketing of Wyoming lean beef by Chapter 199, Wyoming Session Laws 1985 and by any other legislative appropriation and spent by the University of Wyoming on the 1985 San Francisco simulated market test. The royalties shall be deposited in the general fund of the state except that fifty percent (50%) of any royalties in excess of the amount budgeted for the expenses of the committee, the inspection and enforcement program and repayment to the state shall be deposited in the University of Wyoming fund to the credit of the agricultural experiment station account.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-106 Enforcement of standards.

(a) The committee may promulgate rules or regulations necessary in the management of a program to enforce the standards for Wyoming lean beef. (b) The committee may require licenses to conduct any inspections of ranching or slaughter operations necessary to insure compliance with Wyoming lean beef standards. The committee may require that this inspection program complies with any requirements imposed by the federal government to insure that the quality standards are met or that claims made on any label for, or advertising concerning, Wyoming lean beef are valid. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the committee from having necessary inspections performed by employees of the department of agriculture or committee members or other appropriate persons.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-107 Cooperative advertising and promotion.

(a) The committee may provide for the collection of additional royalties on the sale of Wyoming lean beef to pay for advertising and promotion programs. Such royalties may be levied on all Wyoming lean beef sold to pay for national advertising and promotion programs or only on Wyoming lean beef sold in particular markets or through particular channels of distribution to pay for advertising aimed at those markets, or both. If the volume of sales on which royalty is paid in a market in the previous year is fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) or more, the additional royalties may be imposed on that market only with the consent of the persons paying two-thirds (2/3) of the royalties paid in that previous year. The committee shall define as necessary the markets and may classify sales as being in more than one (1) market. Any other assessment method may be used in whole or in part with the consent of all persons liable for the assessment. The royalties or assessment shall be deposited in a separate account and shall be expended for advertising, promotion, product development and the expenses connected therewith in the market for which the royalty or assessment is collected. The committee may authorize the expenditure of funds in the account or may delegate that authority to the subcommittees provided by subsection (b) of this section. (b) To administer the advertising and promotion campaigns, the committee shall appoint a subcommittee for each market for which funds are separately collected. The subcommittee shall consist of at least one (1) voting member of the committee and any nonvoting members of the committee representing persons who pay additional royalties or assessments for that market and who shall be entitled to vote within the subcommittee. The full committee may give the subcommittee guidelines and directions it shall follow and may choose to reserve to itself the right to veto all subcommittee actions or particular classes of subcommittee actions. When considering actions or information the knowledge of which could give competitors a commercial advantage, the subcommittee may hold executive sessions.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-108 Wyoming supreme beef.

(a) The committee may register in the name of the state of Wyoming a trademark or trade name for "Wyoming supreme beef", "Wyoming premium beef" or some similar name containing the name of the state of "Wyoming". This trademark or trade name for beef shall be used to designate a product which may be produced with some period in a conventional feed lot. For this brand of beef the committee may: (i) Establish standards as necessary which shall be the same as the standards established for Wyoming lean beef pursuant to W.S. 11-40-104(a)(i), (viii) and (ix), but need not be consistent with other standards established for Wyoming lean beef; (ii) Provide for a program for inspection and enforcement of the standards; (iii) Provide for licensing of persons to market the beef in the same manner as licensing is provided for Wyoming lean beef; (iv) Provide for royalty collection, enforcement of license terms, protection of trademark and trade name from infringement and cooperative advertising in the same manner as provided for Wyoming lean beef.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-40-109 Termination of existence of committee.

(a) Repealed By Laws 2010, Ch. 69, § 204. (b) If the sales volume falls below one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) for three (3) successive years, the existence of the committee shall terminate on July 1 of the fourth year.
Source: WY Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title11.pdfFetched: 10/4/2026

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