Few things could get Tim Scheer off the combine as harvest drags on. But he'll stop long enough to call the state capitol, concerned corn checkoff dollars may be used to help balance the budget. 

Scheer, an officer with the Nebraska Corn Board said, "This is not tax dollars, it's not moving tax dollars, it's actually a new tax in a sense."

The checkoff is a voluntary program, where a quarter of a cent of every bushel sold goes into research and marketing. 

"If you look at ethanol, the current checkoff has done a lot to promote that. If we look at
holding, maintaining, and growing exports, we work a lot with that," Scheer said.

State Sen. Annette Dubas has drafted a bill blocking that money from going in the state's general fund. 

She said, "This could really jeopardize any future use of checkoff dollars. What farmer is going to want to vote if they feel anything the state wants to they can come in and raid those funds?"

Governor Dave Heineman said it's about shared sacrifices, arguing he's spreading cuts to avoid deep cuts in a few programs. 

'Now I want to be very candid. The commodity boards have a legitimate argument," the governor told NTV News. "I'm very sensitive to it and under normal circumstances I would agree with them but we are in uncharted waters. We have $334 million revenue shortfall and I'm simply asking can everyone in state government be a part of the solution."

Farmers like Tim Scheer of St. Paul say they're willing to do their part, but they object to moving their checkoff dollars. Scheer argues it's a self-imposed fee designed to benefit the state's top industry. 

"I think it's an ugly precedent to set," he said.

According to Sen. Dubas' office, a hearing is set for Monday on her bill.

The governor says he'll entertain alternatives, but only if it doesn't come out of the state's rainy day fund. 

Reporter's Notes by Steve White:
Estimates on how much money will be moved range from a few hundred thousand dollars to more than a million.

13 senators have signed on to Dubas' bill. Groups like the Farm Bureau have also expressed their opposition to moving checkoff dollars.

Gov. Heineman told NTV he is asking everyone to make sacrifices, and just as he has asked schools and state agencies to help, he said he is asking cash-funded programs to do their part.