“Elections Matter …” The Arizona Farm Bureau’s (AZFB) National Affairs Committee heard that comment at least a dozen times during their just concluded spring trip to Washington D.C. The comment refers to Democrat dominance in both the U.S. House and Senate and the election of Democrat President Barak Obama.

 

Three state board members along with AZFB President Kevin Rogers, First Vice President Tim Dunn and myself heard that “elections matter” when briefed by American Farm Bureau (AFBF) President Bob Stallman and his staff, a USDA Under Secretary, and several of Arizona’s congressional delegation including Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain. Ann Palmer (Willcox), AZFB Woman’s Leadership Chair and Sherry Saylor (Buckeye) Vice Chair of the AFBF Woman’s Leadership Committee were also in D.C. and joined the committee on several congressional calls.

 

Board members Mark Claridge (Safford), Adam Hatley (Mesa) and Marvin Marlatt (Wellton) found themselves in D.C. as the Swine Flu outbreak erupted and D.C. bureaucrats (USDA, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services just to mention a few) and law makers were scrambling between meetings on what was an appropriate response. They were also there to watch Senator Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania) change his party affiliation to Democrat and get Republican Senator Jon Kyl’s reaction the next morning. Senator Kyl is Minority Leader of the 100 member U.S. Senate. He is the Republican responsible for holding 41 votes together to stop legislation as it takes 60 votes to close debate (cloture) on most non-budget issues. Spector’s defection takes Kyl’s Republicans down to 40. Kyl indicated he and the country will have to depend on some conservative Democrats to stop nationalizing health care, a national cap-and-trade program (see “Carbon Becomes a Crop for Some: But a Cash Crop?” above) to address climate change, doing away with the secret ballot for union elections (Card Check) and removing the word “navigable” from the Clean Water Act. Climate change, Card Check and the Clean Water Restoration Act where some of the issues your Farm Bureau leaders took to the “Hill” when they sat with Arizona’s eight representatives, two senators and their key staff people.

 

Stallman told the Arizona group early Monday morning that we should tell our congressional delegation to support slowing down the movement of climate change legislation. “There are more questions than there are answers in the proposal,” said Stallman. Progress has slowed on the bill as more legislators evaluate the cost to their constituents. An estimate by House Ways and Means ranking Republican Dave Camp (Michigan) shows an annual increase in electricity alone to be $672 per person for Arizona.

 

Under Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Services, Jim Miller, told the group that President Obama has said, “some farmers do not need as much help as other farmers.” Miller indicated that there would be no change in the payment structure for the 2009 crop year but we “are leaving the door open” for payment adjustments in 2010. He more than hinted there would be a serious look by his administration into the issue of a recipient’s “active engagement” in the farming operation. Miller says it is “part and parcel of the budget reality.” Miller stressed that the issue is not farm structure, but “who is getting the payments…we will need to use the Internal Revenue Service’s analytical ability to gather more information.”

 

Miller also tells the group that Obama has said that agriculture is the only bright spot in trade. The Under Secretary says that our trading partners “must meet higher levels” referring to labor and environmental standards that U.S. producers must meet. Farm Bureau leaders pointed out to Miller that carbon trading and taxing will put U.S. farmers at even more of a competitive disadvantage if the whole world is not required to participate in a climate protecting initiative. “Today, China has a larger carbon footprint than the U.S. and they say they are not going to play,” said one Farm Bureau leader. Miller seems to concur and this becomes a constant message by the Farm Bureau delegation as they head for the “Hill.” Farm Bureau asks Miller to assist in telling the administration and Congress the affects carbon trading and taxing could have on agriculture in the cost of fuel, fertilizer and other production needs.

 

The issues covered by your Arizona Farm Bureau leaders as they talked to all ten congressional offices include the following:

·        Concern with the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 that proposes caps on carbon emissions that will put us at a competitive disadvantage. This is especially true in Arizona where much of our energy is derived from coal. This issue also included our opposition to a “cow tax” put forward by EPA as part of their proposal to regulate green house gases.

·        Our opposition to removing the word “navigable” from the regulatory scheme of the Clean Water Act. Court challenges would be anticipated that such a change could bring all waters under federal control such as irrigation canals, stock ponds, dry washes and any lands that have standing water after a summer storm.

·        Stressing that bills dealing with banning the movement of horses for slaughter would have unintended consequences of more horses being released in the wild and suffering more than if humanely slaughtered. We stressed that Congress should go the other direction and encourage horse processing facilities to reopen in this country rather than sending them for slaughter to Mexico where processing regulations may be suspect. Animal rights groups are using people’s love for horses to advance their no slaughter agenda and vegetarian life style.

·        Continuing our support for legislation that deals with our industry’s need for labor. We stressed our support for a secure border but added that the labor pool for temporary and permanent farm workers is small especially in rural areas. We were told that the unions are in charge of immigration and worker visa reform and they do not support a temporary worker program. The comment was “elections matter.”

·        Additional issues depending upon the congressional office were; elimination of secret ballots for union elections, the impact of the Gila River Settlement on the Upper Gila River farmers and opposing adjustments in the just completed Farm Bill.

 

The committee returned to Phoenix after three full days on the “Hill.” They are clearly concerned of what lays ahead with the actions this administration and Congress might take on global warming, Clean Water Act changes, health care reform, immigration reform, farm assistance qualifications, animal rights initiatives and tax policy. They absolutely brought back the message “elections matter.”