Petitions circulating for wheat checkoff

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois Wheat Association Checkoff Committee is circulating petitions for a wheat checkoff program in the state. The proposal calls for a 1.5 cent checkoff per bushel of wheat sold.

Funding for the IWA is currently provided through dues, contributions from flour millers and the industry, as well as grants. Illinois Farm Bureau provides the staff and staffing space at its Bloomington headquarters.

This method of support is unstable and very time consuming. In order for IWA to have an effective program of research, promotion and educational outreach, a stable financial base is needed, according to Don Guinnip of Marshall, a member of a group appointed to move forward with the proposal.

“We are proposing a penny-and-a-half checkoff per bushel of wheat. It would be refundable. If you don’t agree with it, you don’t like what’s going on, you can get it back, just like corn checkoff,” Guinnip said.

“It would be an Illinois-only checkoff. A penny-and-a-half on 100-bushel per acre wheat, and that was very common in my area this year, that’s $1.50 per acre.”

According to the IWA, the checkoff program will feature four core components:

Research: Focus checkoff dollars on Illinois wheat research to develop best production practices, increase yields, drive profitability and engage with experts.

Promotion: Develop field days, events and materials that educate consumers and farmers on the healthy values of wheat, double cropping practices and new market opportunities.

Economic well-being: With a farmer-focused board of directors, prioritize improving economic well-being of the wheat producer, processor and consumer.

Policy: Advocate for wheat as a public policy solution in cover cropping, water quality, carbon credits and more.

Guinnip, who grows corn, soybeans, wheat and milo in Clark County and raises cattle on his farm with a cow-calf beef operation, provided further details during the recent Illinois Soybean Association and Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association 4R field day at Decatur.

“We are proposing this. There will be hearing at the Department of Agriculture on Nov. 12 where Director Jerry Costello will hear our petitions and if he decides to grant them there will probably be a checkoff vote next March,” Guinnip said. “We need 500 signatures to present to him on that day as well as testimony.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t a believer. Everything you’ve heard today about water quality and nutrients and soil health, we feel like in a lot of watersheds and in a lot of parts of the state, this is part of the answer.”

Interested producers can go to the Illinois Wheat Association website — www.illinoiswheat.org — and take a picture with their phone of the QR code to sign the petition electronically or sign it via the website link.