Farm Action Fund, 67 other groups back reintroduction of Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Farm Action Fund, joined by 67 other farm organizations, announced its support Wednesday for the reintroduction of the bipartisan Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act. The legislation, reintroduced by Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; and Reps. Nancy Mace, R-N.C.; and Dina Titus, D-Ga., seeks to reform the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commodity checkoff programs by increasing transparency and accountability.
The OFF Act would prohibit checkoff programs from contracting with organizations that lobby on agricultural policy, with exceptions for academic institutions and programs collecting less than $20 million annually. It would also mandate the public release of program budgets and expenditures and require regular audits by the USDA Office of Inspector General.
“America’s farmers and ranchers are fed up with their hard-earned money landing in the hands of corporate lobbyists,” said Joe Maxwell, president of Farm Action Fund and a Missouri farmer. “The OFF Act’s common-sense reforms would ensure USDA performs stringent oversight so that farmers know exactly where their money is going.”
Originally designed as voluntary initiatives, checkoff programs now collect nearly $1 billion annually through mandatory fees on producers of commodities such as milk, eggs, cattle, and hogs. Farm Action Fund and other critics argue that lax oversight has allowed the misuse of these funds, often benefitting large trade associations like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which reportedly relies on checkoff funds for more than 70% of its budget.
The bill’s reintroduction follows Farm Action Fund’s “Enough is Enough” tour and recent investigative findings from Freedom of Information Act requests. Those findings revealed the USDA’s failure to adequately monitor how checkoff funds are used, including instances of funds being funneled to lobbying organizations in violation of federal guidelines.
The updated OFF Act for the 119th Congress includes strengthened language to ensure coverage of both federal and state entities handling checkoff funds, quarterly financial reporting to national boards, and public access to that information within 30 days.
Farm Action Fund continues to lead the movement for checkoff reform, calling for legislation that ensures producers’ dollars are used to support — not undermine — independent farmers and ranchers.
