Farm Groups Applaud Seven New Co-Sponsors for the Mace-Titus OFF Act
Checkoff reform momentum grows ahead of next farm bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, farm groups including American Grassfed Association, Competitive Markets Action, the Organization for Competitive Markets, Farm Action Fund, Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming, and R-CALF USA applauded seven members of Congress for their new co-sponsorship of H.R.1249/S.557, the bipartisan Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act, which would restore accountability and transparency to agricultural checkoff programs.
Introduced in the House by Representatives Nancy Mace (R-SC-1) and Dina Titus (D-NV-1), and in the Senate by Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), the OFF Act's newest co-sponsors include Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), Oversight and Accountability Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Representatives Nanette Diaz Barragàn (D-CA-44), Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).
In total the OFF Act now has more bipartisan support than in any previous Congress, with 15 co-sponsors in the House and six in the Senate.
Recently, debate over the Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture Appropriations bill has increased interest in oversight of the 22 government-mandated checkoff programs, long plagued by accusations of corruption and misuse of funds. This wave of new sponsors is the latest development in the rising momentum for their reform.
“The OFF Act is backed by more than 200,000 American family farmers who are sick and tired of seeing their own checkoff dollars put farmers out of business,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC-1). “We are grateful to our colleagues in Congress for supporting this legislation and hope to include the measure in the upcoming farm bill.”
“For too long, producers in Nevada and beyond have been forced to pay into a checkoff program with little oversight, supporting the interests of Big Ag corporations and lobbyists in Washington instead of hardworking farmers and ranchers across the nation,” said Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV-1). “My colleagues and I are pushing for critical federal reform in the bipartisan OFF Act, ending the exploitation of farmers and promoting accountability in our food system.”
“USDA’s scandal-ridden checkoff programs have long been corrupted by the swamp and it’s time for Congress to take action and help save the last remaining independent family farms in America,” said Marty Irby, president at Competitive Markets Action and board secretary at the Organization for Competitive Markets. “We applaud the new co-sponsors of the OFF Act for standing up to the special interests that control the checkoffs and supporting the family farmers whose backs this country was built upon.”
The bipartisan OFF Act is supported by more than 60 farm groups representing hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers. Farm groups are applauding the commitment these members of Congress have made to a more fair food system.
"Currently, American family farmers doing pasture based production have no say over who gets our checkoff money," said Carrie Balkcom, executive director of the American Grassfed Association. "The OFF Act would give us a seat at the table when the spending of these funds are allocated."
“Checkoff programs have been corrupted and turned into another mechanism of control over our food system by powerful corporations,” said Angela Huffman, vice president of Farm Action Fund. “The OFF Act’s sponsors are standing up for farmers and ranchers, ensuring they will no longer be forced to pay into a system that actively works against them.”
“Wyoming independent cattlemen have long asked for reform of the current checkoff program which has no accountability to those producers who are forced to pay the checkoff,” said Judy McCullough, director and secretary of the Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming. “NCBA receives the lion’s share of the checkoff dollars and historically has supported the packers’ positions and fought legislation (like mCOOL) that benefits the cattle producers. Therefore we support the OFF Act being a part of the farm bill.”
“Ranchers deserve Congress’ help in bringing transparency and accountability to these government-mandated programs that have extracted wealth from their farms and ranches and placed it into the hands of lobbying organizations that continually fight against their interests,” said Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA.
The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The foundation of the Organization for Competitive Markets is to fight for competitive markets in agriculture for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. True competition reduces the need for economic regulation. Our mission, and our duty, is to define and advocate the proper role of government in the agricultural economy as a regulator and enforcer of rules necessary for markets that are fair, honest, accessible and competitive for all citizens.
Competitive Markets Action (CMA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit based in Washington, D.C., that was formed with the mission of shaping policy to promote more regenerative and sustainable agriculture, and competitive markets in the U.S., and to defend against attacks on states’ rights by the federal government. CMA works to raise awareness of the harm caused by multinational conglomerates to the American family farmer, the consumer and our U.S. economy as a whole in an effort to bring about legislative and regulatory reforms.