Source: FARM PROGRESS, 7/2/21


Members in Congress introduced the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act, designed to reform and bring accountability and transparency to reform the USDA’s commodity checkoff programs. Under federal law, farmers of certain commodities (including pork, eggs, beef, and corn) are required to pay a portion of their sales into checkoff programs. These mandatory fees are intended to be used by the U.S. government to research and market those commodities. Well-known examples of past checkoff-funded advertising campaigns are “Got Milk,” “Pork. The Other White Meat,” “The Incredible, Edible Egg,” and “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.” Checkoff programs collect more than $850 million from America’s farmers and ranchers every year.

For more of this story, click here.