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March 21, 2025 |  By: Iowa News Service

Iowa farmers push back on cuts to popular agriculture checkoff program

Iowa farmers are pushing back on a plan to make cuts to the poular agriculture checkoff program. The program has generated billions of dollars to promote corn, dairy, beef, pork and other ag projects in its six decades.

The first voluntary ag checkoff program for US producers was formed in 1966. Congress formalized it thirty years later. University of Iowa Ag economist Silkvia Secchi says the U-S Department of Agriculture program tends to fund research at large instituions that don't help Iowa's small family farmers.

Secchi says Project 2025, which is considered a bluprint for the Trump administration's agenda has labeled the checkoff programs as among the most egregious run by the USDA. Small farmers are pushing for policymakers to rework checkoffs so funds are directed to smaller producers.