Brownfield

Bob Meyer's in the House (of Representatives)

Bob Meyer sat down with House Ag Committee member Steve Kagen on Wednesday to talk about a number of ag issues.  The Congressman does not think they will reopen the farm bill to change payment caps.  He says the House Ag Committee will be able to get the indirect land use provision for ethanol out of the climate bill but he is not sure cap-and-trade is the best way to go with carbon emission standards.  The Democrat says Congress may have to use the Treasury to get the needed credit to dairy farmers to help them through these low prices and he believes we must have a national animal identification system.  Kagen, a medical doctor, continues to push for reform of health care in this country and sees a three-tier approach as the best route to go.

Observations from D.C.

 Brownfield's Ken Anderson is in Washington, D.C. this week participating in the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Washington Watch program.  He's been very busy:

There’s certainly no shortage of issues to discuss here in Washington.  Of course, the H1N1 flu virus has become the number one topic, but several others are close behind, including animal rights, climate, ethanol and animal ID, just to name a few.

On Monday night, we heard from Wayne Pacelle, head of the HSUS.  He was just as advertised—articulate, smooth and a bit evasive on HSUS’s real objectives.  Pacelle bemoaned what he considers unfair ag media coverage of HSUS.  He says his group wants to work with agriculture to find solutions to animal welfare and animal abuse issues, and he thinks it’s a mistake for the livestock industry to “draw a line in the sand” on negotiations with HSUS.  It’s obvious that Pacelle and HSUS are feeling their oats after their ballot initiative victories in California and Arizona, and Pacelle make it clear that they plan to go state-by-state with their reforms.

We spent Wednesday morning at the USDA.  Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack spent 30 minutes with us, followed by a parade of other top USDA officials.  Vilsack addressed the flu virus issue, but we were told that other officials would not be commenting on the topic.  It was clear that Washington officials are carefully controlling what is being said about it.  Vilsack covered many other issues with us, which we look forward to sharing with our listeners and web visitors over the next few days.

Tomorrow we head to Capitol Hill, where we will hear from several key Senator and Representatives, including the heads of the Senate (Harkin) and House (Peterson) Agriculture Committees.

Talking to lawmakers

Brownfield reporters have been busy covering lobbying efforts by ag organizations.  One of our Jefferson City, Missouri-based ag journalists covered those efforts by Missouri Farmers Union members in the statehouse and in Washington, D.C.

It’s lobbying season on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures and farmers are making their voices heard.

-Julie Harker

Tom's turn in D.C.

 Julie Harker was there last week for the National Farmers Union meeting; now Tom Steever has his boots on the ground inside the Beltway:

I’m traveling this week with the Missouri Farm Bureau on their annual visit with Washington lawmakers and other federal government officials.  The trip involves about 100 Missouri Farm Bureau members and in addition to meetings with elected officials at the U.S. Capitol, includes visits to the Irish Embassy and the Pentagon.  It’s great not only because of the opportunity of seeing the United States Government in action, but it’s just as nice to spend time with Missouri Farm Bureau members.

-Tom Steever

Great column on Brownfield website

We have some really great content on our website.  One of my favorite sections is a weekly column written by someone I've known for 20-some years.

Steve Kopperud's latest column on Brownfield Ag News, "Time for animal interests to come together" is well worth reading. 

Midlands NAMA invitation

MIDLANDS NAMA INVITES YOU TO:

A Panel Discussion
How the New Administration Will Affect Agriculture
Moderated by Ken Anderson, Farm Director of Waitt AgriBUSINESS

Panelist to include:
   Don Hutchens, Executive Director of the Nebraska Corn Board,
   John McCoy, President and Owner of Orthman Manufacturing 
   Craig Head, Asst. Director of Governmental Relations at Farm Bureau or Jordan Dux National Affairs Coordinator at Farm Bureau.

The past few years have been good for the agricultural market. However, the economic recession in the US and ar! ound the world is starting to impact agriculture - commodity prices are unable to gain traction due to the economic news, consumers have reduced their purchases of meat and in turn the demand for feed grains has declined. There has been considerable debate about the economic stimulus plan and the sustainability of global agriculture.
What impact will renewable energy have?
How does the animal rights movement affect agribusiness?
What direction will the EPA take on environmental rules and regulations affecting agriculture?
How will the budget proposal affect payments to farmers?
This is your chance to listen, discuss and pose questions to get the take on agriculture sustainability with the new administration. This is one you do not want to miss!

JOIN US
Thursday, March 19th
3:00 - 5 :00

LOCATION
Farm Bureau Offices
5225 South 16th Street
Lincoln, NE
RSVP BY TUESDAY, MARCH 17th
Steve Johnson, Swanson Russell
E-mail: stevej@swansonrussell.com
Phone: 402-492-3230

2008 Year in Review

Once again, Tom Steever did a great job of producing the year in review program for Brownfield Ag News.  It is no small task to whittle a year's worth of ag highlights into a 54-minute program. 

Brownfield's 2008 Year in Review program is available in 3 segments on the Brownfield website.  WIth Tom serving as program host, the program features segments from the entire Brownfield team.  It is definitely worth your time to listen to the program.

Here's the program description:

The past year brought change.  The 2007 farm bill became the 2008 farm bill because of the extended and contentious debate that led to frequent extensions of existing farm policy.  Finalization of the farm bill was done in the shadow of the presidential election campaign, made all the more interesting because of the candidates' differing views on farm policy and on renewable fuels.  The election also resulted in a strengthening of the Democratic Party in Congress.

Agriculture production in the Corn Belt was delayed and impeded this year by widespread flooding. That disaster was revisited when the effects of gulf storms caused more rising water late in the growing season. Markets responded to the weather, but to a greater extent to the forces exerted by high global demand for grains and oilseeds.  Record farm income was offset by the highest production costs in history, primarily from record crude oil prices in the summer and also by the steep costs of feeding livestock.  The economic downturn later in the year exerted opposite market force.

The public's confidence was shaken by incriminating video tapes documenting animal abuse at a meat packer and at livestock markets.  The images, gathered by animal activists, led to the biggest meat recall in history and greater self-scrutiny of markets.  The same activists were successful at passage of a ballot initiative requiring California swine and poultry growers to change their methods.

These stories and many more were covered by reporters on the nation's largest agricultural radio network.  They're part of Agriculture in 2008 on Brownfield Ag News for America.