Oswald No-Till Farm Cleghorn, IA | Greetings all,
There are a number on this forum who know I have been a state soybean check off board member for years. I am now President-elect of the Iowa Soybean Association which handles the soybean check off in Iowa.
When I read the various negative comments it hurts. But that's fine, it's part of the personal cost of volunteer service, or in the eyes of some, partying with other farmers's money though I reject the notion it is just a party to serve. It is more time and work than most farmers realize. We are seldom overrun with farmers willing to commit the time and thought. And, one of the risks of responding to the comments is potential personal negative comments. That said, I feel a bit compelled to respond from an insider's perspective.
I am not here to tell you the check off brought you $15 soybeans because I can't prove that. I can't tell you that there isn't any waste or inefficiently used money because that's unrealistic with any organization that has to deal with various constraints imposed by the code with hired staff to do the work. Decisions can be tough calls. If a director cares, it is not an easy job. There is give an take.
Almost every objection you post here I have heard before and have contemplated myself. It's not new.
A few comments:
There is a significant effort to engage farmers asking the "what can we do for you?" question. When comments are made that we never ask, I have to think aren't guys paying attention? Surveys aren't cheap and often come back suggesting we need to keep doing the things we are already doing. Yes, there can be issues with communication and getting lost in the information overload. If you have constructive ideas I encourage you to contact the organizations with what you think needs to happen. The farmers I have served with over time want to do the right things and want constructive input.
I have covered this before in similar threads.... One of the reasons for a percent based non-refundable check off (tax) was that it would equalize and make it more fair and consistent across the country as some states were carrying the research and promotion ball while other states did nothing.
At that time, the notion of farmers delivering semi loads of $15 soybeans was not on the radar... It was considered an unrealistic dream. It was a group of farmers who ruminated over this back then.not the mafia. I know the issue of non-refundability is a big deal as many farmers have said they want to have the ability to vote with the dollars by how many they let us keep. I get that and am sensitive to the argument. This is a sticky point because defining who is freeloading is hard to do.
http://www.unitedsoybean.org/wp-content/uploads/Information_Act_1.p... Compliance with the act and order is not a slam dunk allowing us to do "whatever we want" with your money and mine. The audit procedures and oversight are significant.
Critical thinking and Kool-aid drinking
I don't believe I have been accused of being a Kool-Aid drinking Yes man. I know staff people who haven't felt that way when I get to digging into a program or project proposal.
So, as I think about the various non constructive comments I encounter and thinking about the complexity of the soybean industry from both the research and promotion sides with consideration of the influence of public policy on issues, I don't believe the comments that the check off is useless are warranted.
The assumption that the money has been a total waste assumes that the market players in the world are altruistic and fair. That seed and chemical companies will always be funding unbiased research on production issues and that the market will always allocate fairly.
The reality is not that simple. Who is going to tell the story of farming from a farmer perspective if we don't do it ourselves? Maybe the major players will...what if they don't?
So the growth in soybean demand causing price increase was not due to market research and promotional efforts as has been stated here....and that the market is a bigger factor? There's some truth to that.... But your access to that market is not assured. There is zero guarantee that high demand means you will be able to sell to that demand. There is also zero guarantee that growing demand will be stimulated by those buying/trading the beans. International trading companies really don't care who's beans they trade. I can tell you that 30 years ago, Chinese livestock producers were not using soybean meal like they do now and that U.S. efforts showed them the positives of meal in rations. It wasn't easy work that took some time to take root. Would they have eventually developed into the demand without soybean organization and check off promotional efforts??? We will never know....but do you really want to assume the investment from farmer check off didn't have an impact?
On production research I have to wonder how many farmers believe the bulletins they get from their input vendors based on University research just magically appeared out of thin air? I can assure you that funding at the University level for agriculture is heavily dependent on check off funded projects. Industry players don't have to provide farmers with unbiased information. Check off funding offers the opportunity to do that work and provide you another source.
I could go on and on. I don't feel the need to inflame this discussion more and don't figure I can change the minds of those who's minds are already made up.
I just want guys to really think about the notion that the check off has been the big ripoff some seem imply but really can't prove as fact. You can't prove the negative (if the check off wasn't there) after the fact it has been doing work for decades.
Studies show that each check off dollar spent is returned in multiples. I am sure that statement will be met with skepticism...and that's fair. I've heard the arguments to that as well.
I get tired of hearing the extreme comments without any attempt to find a constructive improvement. If you don't understand what's going on,I urge and encourage you to attend board and other meetings, make calls to office staff and directors, engage projects that ask for non board farmers to show up, and consider running for board or advisory committee positions. There is nothing wrong with working to hold our director and organization feet to the fires of accountability. This includes voting regarding the referendum process and being sure to be an informed voter in director elections.
I can't think of an industry where they dont collaborate to research, develop and promote their product in aggregate form even while they do their own brand specific research development and promotion/marketing/advertising. This stuff costs money. There is no way around it.
The question still is based on whether we farmers wish to have some control over that destiny or whether we can safely assume that others will take good care of us.
I have come down on the side which doesn't assume that people we do business with are all our friends who are looking for ways I can capture more of world opportunities in soybean farming. Yes our current system is not perfect....few things are. I'm doing what I can.
Tom |
Soybean check off
