Soybean groups at odds over use of checkoff funds

"The board of the American Soybean Association has asked the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Inspector General to investigate what it calls 'serious allegations' of wrongdoing at the United Soybean Board," writes Dan Piller of The Des Moines Register. The allegations include "whistleblower complaints of an improper employee relationship, a whistleblower complaint of receiving direction [to] break overseas laws and American regulations, whistleblower complaints regarding the awarding of no-bid contracts, wasteful or fraudulent feeding trails and more," adds Piller.

The USB is in charge of administering a 0.5 percent checkoff fee applied to the market price of every bushel of soybeans. The growth in the amount of soybeans sold has seen the checkoff fee raise to $140 million this year, up from $41 million in 1992. The revenues from the checkoff fee are supposed to be spent on education, soybean promotion and to boost exports. The USB was created in 1990 to administer the revenues from the checkoff fee. (Read more)