OP-ED: Senator Mike Lee’s OFF Act is an Attack on American Agriculture
May 30, 2025
Senator Mike Lee, R-UT, is at it again with his reintroduction of the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act—a deceptively named bill that threatens the ability of farmers and ranchers to unite through self-funded commodity checkoff programs. These programs are created and governed by producers to support marketing, research and education for products like beef, dairy, Christmas trees and others—without taxpayer funding. Senator Lee’s relentless attacks on checkoff programs undermine the very backbone of American life, a safe, wholesome and affordable food supply.
Despite the title, there is nothing “fair” about this legislation, nor does it create opportunity for farmers and ranchers. Instead, the OFF Act completely undermines producers’ right to collectively invest in their industry. It limits the ability for producers to speak with one voice in a marketplace increasingly dominated by misinformation. It blocks the ability to differentiate real beef from a confusing array of fake products.
Senator Lee’s OFF Act—couched in populist, anti-tax rhetoric—would bury these programs under layers of unnecessary bureaucracy, prohibit them from working with industry partners, and silence their ability to counter misleading or hostile narratives about agriculture. That’s not reform, that’s sabotage. These programs are not taxpayer funded; they’re financed and directed by farmers and ranchers themselves for the benefit of all who pay into the program, and they work. USDA studies show the Beef Checkoff returns more than $13 for every $1 invested.
More concerning is who stands to benefit if the OFF Act passes. The legislation is championed not by mainstream producers, but by a loose coalition of anti-agriculture activists, radical animal rights groups, and fringe organizations which have been working long and hard to destroy the checkoff system. These groups have found sympathetic supporters like Senator Lee and radical left Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey who is a champion of the animal rights movement, to further their cause. Anti-checkoff efforts serve no purpose other than to weaken the voice of American agriculture and clear the way for animal rights activists, plant-based advocates and fake protein companies to dominate the conversation about food, farming and climate.
By dismantling checkoff programs, the OFF Act would make it harder—not easier—for small and medium-sized farmers and ranchers to compete with these well-funded fake meat companies. It would allow more effective and coordinated attacks on agriculture. In short, the OFF Act would cripple the very programs that help build consumer trust, drive demand and grow markets. Far from creating opportunities, this bill would remove one of the few reliable tools that producers have available to level the playing field.
Senator Lee knows the farmers and ranchers in his home state of Utah oppose the OFF Act. He has already met with Utah Cattlemen’s Association and Utah Farm Bureau members who have rejected his bill. He also knows that farmers and ranchers nationwide oppose the OFF Act. So, the real question is why does he continue to push such unpopular legislation?
Make no mistake, the OFF Act isn’t about transparency or fairness. It’s about dismantling a proven system of producer-led self-determination in favor of ideological purity tests and Washington micromanagement. That doesn’t create opportunity, and it’s certainly not about fairness.
Senator Lee should reconsider his alignment with anti-agriculture interests seeking to put farmers and ranchers out of business. American farmers and ranchers deserve support—not sabotage.
Written By Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO
Source: NCBA
