USDA Draws New Line on Dairy Checkoff Spending
USDA is drawing a new line around how dairy checkoff dollars can be spent.
In a September 17 announcement, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said USDA is ending Dairy Checkoff funding for projects tied to Environmental, Social, and Governance, or ESG, initiatives.
Under the Dairy Production Stabilization Act, checkoff funds can support promotion, research and nutrition education aimed at strengthening markets for U.S. dairy. USDA says the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, established through the checkoff, has also pursued ESG initiatives, including greenhouse gas and net-zero targets.
The Department’s action ends checkoff support for those ESG-related projects, while allowing necessary administrative functions. USDA is also directing the Agricultural Marketing Service to ensure research and promotion dollars from other commodity checkoffs do not fund ESG mandates.
Rollins says the goal is to return those producer-funded programs to their core mission of expanding markets.
USDA also pointed to a Texas A&M analysis estimating the Dairy Checkoff generates an all-dairy return of $5.93 for every dollar spent on activities.
