Waste of the Day: Steak Dinners for Nebraska Board

Topline: There are only 10 members of Nebraska’s Wheat Board, but the committee still managed to spend almost $17,000 on meals from January 2023 to February 2025, according to a new report from the state auditor.

What kind of meals is Nebraska buying for its Wheat Board?

Key facts: The Wheat Board is part of the state’s Department of Agriculture and is funded by a 0.5% excise tax on wheat sold in Nebraska. It exists to “increase both domestic and foreign consumption of wheat and wheat food products through marketing and research,” which apparently requires traveling all over the country.

The committee’s meal costs were $9,173 in 2023 and $5,630 in 2024. They are on pace to spend even more in 2025, with $2,157 spent just in January and February.

Board members often greatly outspent the approved per-person meal rates by an “unreasonable” amount, according to the audit. 

The Board spent $102.16 per person at a steakhouse in Phoenix when only $25.20 per person was allowed. Royce Schaneman, executive director of the Wheat Board, claimed the group was trying to find a nearby restaurant without paying for an Uber, but auditors noted that there was a cheaper restaurant at the Board’s hotel.

The Board also reserved a private room at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse in Omaha, Nebraska to host four visitors from a foreign agricultural group. The visitors’ flight was delayed and they never showed up, but five Board members went to the steakhouse anyway with two of their spouses and three staffers. They spent $137.44 per person. 

Couldn’t cancel the meal? Or wouldn’t?

Schaneman explained the Board “could not cancel the meal without a financial penalty. To ensure funds were used productively, board members attended, using the opportunity for team building and recognizing two outgoing board members with awards.”

The audit found several other questionable expenses. One Board member drove from Nebraska to a conference in Texas and was reimbursed $1,621 for gas, meals and hotels. Auditors estimated it would have cost only $803 to fly to Texas instead.

The Nebraska Department of Administrative Services placed restrictions on the Wheat Board’s purchasing cards after the report was released, which State Auditor Mike Foley called an “extraordinary action.”

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Critical quote: “Statutory compliance issues aside, it is difficult to imagine that the hard-working wheat farmers of Nebraska, who contribute enormously to our State’s economy, appreciate their checkoff taxes being spent so extravagantly,” Foley said in a statement.

Background: Schaneman earned a salary of $139,108 last year, the third-highest salary in the history of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, according to records obtained by OpenTheBooks.

Summary: If Nebraska’s employees want fancy dinners while on the clock, they can pay for it with their own money.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.