Christmas Tree Checkoff Part Two

Christmas Tree Checkoff Part 2. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture.

For a number of ag industries their checkoff program have pumped needed money into various programs. The Christmas tree industry tried a number of years ago but failed to get the program going. Betty Malone with Sunrise Tree Farm near Philomath, Oregon says they are once again working towards that goal.

MALONE: We held meetings all across the country in different areas to gather information about what people wanted but it was clear right away that we needed to come up with some kind of framework for people to look at and to massage. And so we spent a couple of years doing that and then made application to the USDA.

They are poised to move ahead with the program with a majority of the industry in favor. But:

MALONE: The problem was that the Heritage Foundation framed our checkoff as the Obama Christmas Tree Tax when in fact Obama had, until that point, had absolutely nothing to do with it and it's not a tax, it's an assessment paid by the grower. But they were able to make political hay out of it and the President put a stay on our program and we've been working for two years now to get the stay lifted.

Congressman Kurt Schrader has been working with the group to bump the program forward with an amendment to the farm bill.

MALONE: We think we've got good support in the farm bill for the checkoff looking at the different votes and just good support in the Senate. So we think that if there is a farm bill we're going to be able to make it through and be able to start our program next year.

That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.