Are checkoffs really taking taxpayer dollars and giving them to agriculture?

Congressional legislation like the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act imply both a misunderstanding of how federal checkoff programs function and why they exist.

The OFF Act suggests federal checkoff programs are simply a means for further consolidation of “industrial agriculture” and federal agricultural lobbying organizations. However, the structure of each checkoff belies that notion.

Checkoff programs are federal marketing and research programs funded entirely by the producers of 22 commodities in the United States. In addition to eggs, beef, and milk, there are checkoff progr...