Saturday

Do you know about farming "checkoff" programs? Slate provides a good explanation: "These are in essence taxes that farmers pay to a national fund, the revenue from which is used to promote the consumption of commodities like pork, beef, eggs, and milk. The current beef checkoff, for instance, requires ranchers to pay $1 per head of cattle into the national fund. Checkoff programs' activities can take the form of generic advertising campaigns, or they can look more like political lobbying."

It reeks of big business using its power with government to extort money from its smaller competitors. I don't know if that's the case, but that's what it smells like. And now it looks like it could be coming to organic farms:

As organic products have moved from niche to mainstream, the politics surrounding organic farming have also changed. Some farmers believe the organic label doesn't go far enough to ensure that organic producers actually uphold environmentally sustainable growing practices. These concerns have intensified as larger-scale, corporate growers have begun to dominate the organic industry, outpacing small, independent growers in market power. Companies like General Mills, Dean Foods, Kellogg, and Kraft have become leading voices in the organic industry. Now, organic farmers are facing questions that have long caused rifts in the wider agricultural community–among them, whether to implement a checkoff tax program.