Welcome to Ultimate Collaboration, your resource for exploring and celebrating the valuable contributions of farmers and their checkoff programs. Did you know producer-funded checkoffs, also known as agriculture promotion groups, not only support research and promotion benefitting farmers, but also contribute to rural communities and a more vibrant food system? It’s time to shine a spotlight on these stories of progress and raise awareness of the benefits of checkoffs beyond the agricultural community.
“The [food] industry probably won’t spend the kind of dollars we do to get a new product launched,” says Ohio soybean grower Keith Kemp. “New market opportunities are huge because as long as we’re selling soybeans, every farmer is making more money.”
“A lot of the work done through checkoff programs is to make our products more accessible and more valuable,” says Michigan pork producer Dale Norton. “The Pork Board has a program called We Care that reflects [farmers’] desire to be good neighbors. We want to provide a good, safe food supply.”
“Through analysis we found that the checkoff program and domestic market is very profitable, but the foreign market is also extremely profitable.” says Harry Kaiser of Cornell University.
Meet Larry McClendon, a cotton and grain grower in east central Arkansas. Larry has a unique outlook on his 42 plus years of experience, saying, ‘No, not 42 years, 42 different experiences, so I continue to push and learn. Cotton matches up with my land, my soil, my personality really.”
Cotton is the food, fiber and material good of the future. Because those soft white fields have always provided one of our most renewable, sustainable resources. One that we have relied upon for centuries to clothe us and provide for our families, and still do today.
Larry McClendon, a cotton and grain grower in Lee county Arkansas, takes us to his farm during harvest time and talks us through the importance of Cotton, promotion boards, and advancements in cotton usage in the United States. Renew your faith in cotton.
“The Cotton Research Promotion Program is a public and private partnership that allows U.S. cotton producers to pool their resources to fight for more demand for cotton,” explains William Gillon, the Cotton Board president and CEO. Farmers and supporters contribute about $75 billion annually to research that helps make cotton the fabric of our lives.
Patrick Johnson, a Mississippi cotton farmer, explains the benefits he’s experienced with the cotton checkoff. “It really does give me peace of mind when I think about how my cotton crop will have a place in the world market,” says Johnson. Find out how the Cotton Promotion Board gives U.S. growers a competitive advantage.
“As a producer, growing cotton has been challenging. We’re seeing some positive things happen now as far as supply and demand. I’m always interested to hear about new uses for cotton and ways to make cotton better,” says Mississippi cotton farmer Patrick Johnson. Learn more about how research is helping create new opportunities for U.S. cotton.
The National Honey Board, Almond Board of California, Project Apis m. and CollaborateUp unite to illuminate the symbiotic relationship between honey bees and the agricultural industry in the new documentary “The Job Swap Experiment.” The film puts almond growers and beekeepers in each other’s shoes, and a look at what each industry does to protect bees.
The California almond community is leading the charge for sustainable farming, from recharging aquifers to more precisely managing nutrient inputs. In addition to working with research institutions like University of California, the Almond Board of California is forging unconventional partnerships with organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund to research and develop practices that help growers increase yields and profitability while minimizing environmental impact. To learn more, visit almonds.com/growing-good.
Soybean checkoff dollars work in many ways, in many different places. These are a few successes you’re likely aware of but may not have known the soy checkoff helped make possible.
View PDFSoybean research has made leaps and bounds in recent years thanks to the advent of new technologies like gene editing. In agriculture, gene editing is the process of changing the DNA of a cell to increase yield; better withstand drought, pests and disease; or improve seed composition.
View PDFAgriculture Promotion Groups play a critical and large role building awareness and driving demand for their respective checkoffs and associations. Here we highlight and showcase 15 examples throughout the industry.
View PDFWe applaud the work of Ag Promotion Groups and those who support them. Click through to learn more.
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