Endowment Releases Results of Study on “Check-offs” for Forest Products

The Endowment today released the results of a study — Commodity “Check-offs” The Potential for North American Softwood Lumber:  Overview — reviewing the potential to use agricultural check-offs to grow markets for forest products across North America.  “We’re especially encouraged by information generated by this particular work,” said Carlton Owen, Endowment President.  “Check-offs have enormous potential to grow markets for environmentally preferable wood products while furthering Endowment objectives to keep forests in forests and retain family-supporting jobs in North America.”  The months-long study reviewed the legal and legislative options and issues surrounding check-offs; the benefits of existing programs and detailed information about how to establish such a mechanism.  A separate phase of the work assessed willingness of current producers to favorably consider a check-off on their products.

Check-offs have been widely used to grow markets and enhance consumer awareness of agricultural products.  Most Americans know check-offs by the public face of some efforts such as “Got Milk?” and “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner.” — funded by check-offs on milk and cattle respectively.  While the Endowment has no direct role in the implementation of such a program that industry would have to “approve and self-fund,” the Endowment will share the results of the study with industry leaders in a convening in Seattle later this fall.  To learn more about why the Endowment undertook this project, view the latest Blog, “The Work of Foundations:  Doing What Others Can’t or Won’t.”  For a copy of the full report with selected appendices view, “Commodity “Check-off” The Potential for North American Softwood Lumber.”