DOGE-Checkoff Drama is Overstated

National media outlets have reported Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency are looking at the commodity checkoff programs for cuts or elimination. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane downplays that possibility. “The usual suspects that have long had an issue with the beef checkoff are doing what they always do, whether that be the radical animal rights activists in Farm Action or the standard folks on Twitter that like to light their hair on fire about whatever the issue is of the day, but we’re not seeing that conversation spread beyond those usual suspects,” Lane told RRFN. “The reality is the vast majority of producers around the country are huge supporters of the beef checkoff. They believe that that investment returns a significant amount to their operations. Lane said checkoff programs don’t use federal dollars and the DOGE conversation is a false narrative.