After a year and a half of internal review, the USDA will ask for public comment on an industry proposal to create a checkoff program for organic products. It is a significant advance for what would be the first research-and-promotion program to apply to a mode of production rather than a commodity. The Organic Trade Association (OTA), the sponsor of the checkoff, says it would raise more than $30 million a year to help U.S. producers meet the burgeoning demand for organic goods.
USDA was expected to publish a request for comment in the Federal Register today, with a 60-day deadline for responses. After reviewing comments, USDA could publish a final version of the proposed checkoff and call a referendum on it. The OTA says its surveys show 2-to-1 support among certified organic producers. The No Organic Checkoff Coalition calls the checkoff a tax on farmers that will spawn bureaucracy. The squabble over the checkoff reflects a schism in the fractious organic movement over the route to profits.
“It’s time for organic stakeholders to invest back in our movement — to fund research to help organic farmers, to create and initiate projects to nurture new organic farmers,” said Melissa Hughes of Organic Valley dairy cooperative and the president of the OTA board.
Checkoff programs are a popular self-help tactic in American agriculture. Nearly two dozen programs operate under USDA supervision, ranging from the well-known cotton and beef checkoffs to smaller-scale initiatives for raspberries, popcorn, Hass avocadoes and honey. A provision in the 2014 farm law opened the way for an organic checkoff. The incoming Trump administration will decide whether to proceed to a referendum on the proposal.
The USDA web page on the proposed organic checkoff is available here.