If You Don't, Who Will?
If You Don’t, Who Will?
By Kevin Rogers, President, Arizona Farm Bureau
Farm Bureau is not the only voice in agriculture, but it is a significant one. Certainly agriculture needs all of the advocates it can assemble.
Christopher Columbus’s detractors may have been correct except as to geography. Politically and economically it is a flat world. Actions and events that appear remote are instantly upon us creating impact upon our businesses. Markets move with real time news and our costs of production are constantly bombarded with news and regulations. Although diminished in numbers, our economy is significant. It is often said we need a seat at the table because we set the table.
In addition to selecting your leaders, your voice in Farm Bureau is debating and voting on our policies. Members get to tell Farm Bureau not only what it should do, but in a larger sense what it is as an organization. Policies can just be words that frame an argument or they can truly represent the convictions we have.
Debate on policies allows us to seek shared values and principles among different enterprises and even among competing thoughts on a given subject. I have often heard that if you want to sharpen your arguments, then spend considerable time listening to the other side. In this sense, debate does not divide us – it can make us better.
During the summer months our county Farm Bureaus set aside time for these debates and discussions. State policies are then voted on during our annual meeting in November, while national and international policies are decided in January at the American Farm Bureau annual. Now is the time for your involvement.
We have some headline issues such as trade, animal identification, property rights, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, country-of-origin labeling and immigration reform.
However, there could also be some very local issues impacting your business, and policy development is an ideal time to bring these issues into focus.
If you don’t, who will? If Farm Bureau does not address your issues, then whom?
For obvious reasons, agriculture continues to be heard. Let Farm Bureau be your mouthpiece.
