On July 1, 2008, the National Sorghum
Checkoff Program went into effect at the rate of 0.6% of the
net market value for grain sorghum. USDA has approved the
arrangement that MGPUB will collect the sorghum checkoff
collected from Maryland growers and forward the funds in
their entirety to the national sorghum program. MGPUB does
not impose an additional checkoff fee on sorghum. Soybeans
are covered by the federal Soybean Promotion and Research
Checkoff and funds for this crop must be submitted directly
to the Maryland Soybean Board (call 410-742-9500 for more
information).
The funds are spent to promote the use of
grain through new product research, promotion, education and
production research. As federal and state funds for these
activities diminish, it is important for grain producers to
promote their own products. Allocation of funds is made by
the non-paid board members of the Maryland Grain Producers
Utilization Board, (MGPUB) on which the 13 voting members
are grain farmers from every region in the state. The
election of these members takes place at the annual Maryland
Grain Producers Association meeting (Maryland Commodity
Classic) on the fourth Thursday in July.
A great deal of progress has been made to
increase the utilization of grain, especially through the
expansion of the ethanol industry which used 2.3 billion
bushels of corn in 2007 to produce 6.5 billion gallons of
ethanol and 14.6 million metric tons of dried distillers
grains (DDGS) for livestock feed. New technology
supported by the checkoff program is improving crop
production efficiency to ensure a viable grain industry in
harmony with the environment.
There is still much research and development
to be done to develop new grain products and improve crop
production. MGPUB intends to use Maryland grain
checkoff dollars to expand this work. Some research will be
done at the state level, while some will be spent, along
with other states' checkoff dollars, through national
associations, to minimize duplication and maximize impact.
The Board of Directors of MGPUB wants as
much input from grain producers and buyers as possible, as
this is their program. Comments or suggestions can be
provided to President Donald Maring at 410-795-2970 or
emailed to the Grain
Producers Office.
The Maryland Grain Checkoff is authorized
under state law, “Annotated Code of Maryland”, Title 10,
“Promotion and Identification of Agricultural Products”.
Under the law, a referendum
must be held every five years to continue the Maryland Grain
Checkoff Program. The Grain Checkoff passed by a 94.6%
majority of the grain producers who voted at the July 28,
2006 referendum. Any producer who does not wish to
participate in the program may request a refund within 60
days of the payment for the grain. Refund forms can be
obtained by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to
MGPUB 53 Slama Road, Edgewater, MD 21037 or telephone
410-956-5771, fax 410-956-0161.
