Understanding and Engaging with Checkoff Funded Research
By Nicole Fiorellino, Extension Agronomist
For every bushel of grain that is sold in Maryland, one-half percent (0.5%) of the net value of that bushel is collected by either a state or national-level checkoff program to be used to fund research and educational activities that support continued production of Maryland grains. While a portion of these funds are used at the national level, the vast majority is spent in state and used to directly benefit Maryland farmers – namely through supporting applied research to provide rapid response to local issues. Both major checkoff organizations in Maryland, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board and Maryland Soybean Board, are managed by a board of directors comprised of Maryland farmers who annually determine the research priorities that checkoff funding will support. University and private researchers apply for this funding through a formal grant proposal submission process and the funding decisions are made by the farmer board of directors. These board members decide if each proposal aligns with the annual priorities and if the return on investment of the checkoff funding will benefit Maryland grain farmers. I wonder if all Maryland farmers realize the opportunity available to engage with and direct the applied research that is performed in Maryland.
Researchers and Extension faculty at University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and even University of Delaware submit proposals to the checkoff organizations to support the applied agronomic research they are performing, as this is a mutually beneficial method for performing and sharing our research. Compared to seeking funding from the Federal government, there is an extremely quick turnaround between grant proposal submission to checkoff organizations and funding awarded, typically one to two months, and researchers are expected to generate results within one year. The checkoff organizations aid in promotion and sharing of research results to Maryland farmers through their frequent communications platforms. This process allows for a quick timeline from introduction of an issue to data collection to information shared with farmers.
National grain checkoff programs exist, namely the soybean checkoff dollars are compiled at the national level, with a large portion of the funds returned to the state where they were collected. This means there are soybean checkoff funds available to address both state and national issues. While it may be frustrating to send state checkoff funding to the national level, there are direct benefits to Maryland farmers from this funding. An example is the national Science for Success research collaborative (https://soybeanscienceforsuccess.org/) that is comprised of soybean Extension specialists from Land Grant Universities across the US. As a member of this group, we aim to conduct national-scale soybean research and develop Extension materials to provide timely, data-driven insights on soybean production to farmers across the US. We received funding from United Soybean Board and we amplify the state-level checkoff funds. Check out some of our activities and resources available at soybeanscienceforsuccess.org.
To maximize the impact of your grain checkoff dollars, you can increase your engagement with the research that is being performed in Maryland. One option is to become a board member or join a research committee within one of the state-level checkoff organizations. These committees determine the annual priorities and decide how checkoff funds are spent. Another option is to attend the second annual Agronomic Crops Field Day later this month at Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown, MD. On August 18th, plan to spend the morning walking through field plots and talking one-on-one with the University of Maryland researchers who are utilizing checkoff funding to perform research that benefits your operation. This event is designed to foster discussion and communication – there are no formal presentations, just conversations in the field. The event will start at 8:30 a.m. and we will provide breakfast and lunch. We are excited to showcase in the field the checkoff funded research that University of Maryland is performing this year. Please join us by registering for the Agronomic Crops Field Day.
This article appears in August 2026, Volume 17, Issue 5 of the Agronomy News.