AFR Successful With Policy Initiatives
March 24, 2010

AFR SUCCESSFUL WITH POLICY INITIATIVES

 

RAPID CITY, SD -- American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union

(AFR/OFU) was successful in getting several initiatives included in the

policy statement of National Farmers Union (NFU) during the NFU Convention

which concluded here last week.  The policy becomes the lobbying direction

for the organization for the next year.

 

“We were able to get provisions included in both permanent policy and

special orders which are relative to current national agriculture issues

originating at our Oklahoma AFR Convention,” said AFR/OFU President Terry

Detrick.  “While we did not get everything accomplished which we wished to

do, we in fact were reasonably successful overall.”

 

In early January when the committee began crafting a policy statement for

consideration by convention delegates, AFR member Paul Jackson of Ringling,

Oklahoma, was able to get several AFR positions inserted in the draft as a

member of the national policy committee.

 

“I want to compliment NFU President Roger Johnston for being very

open-minded with respect to issues impacting producers in the southwest U.S.

With almost an entirely new staff hired over the last year, they are very

interested in representing the diverse interests and what is good for the

future of all of agriculture,” stated Detrick.

 

With respect to the climate change debate, the organization got language

inserted to:

 

* Oppose “considering international indirect land use changes” when

determining U.S. carbon and energy policy”; and

 

* Support the inclusion of provisions that are advantageous to agriculture

while minimizing potential negative effects to agriculture and rural

communities such as increased input costs, elevated electricity costs and

decreased global competitiveness – should a climate change bill be passed.

 

AFR also worked with a coalition of states to modify language in current

policy relative to a national animal identification system because of the

uncertainty of a number of unresolved issues, but maintained that “any

national animal identification program should be administered by USDA with

key involvement by the state departments of agriculture.”

 

Several other AFR/OFU provisions adopted included:

 

* Opposing the deletion of the word “navigable” from the federal Clean Water

Act which would expand the taking of private property and provide additional

intrusiveness; 

 

* Opposing the defining of animal manure, waste or nutrients as being

considered hazardous and regulated under federal “Superfund” law, the

Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980

(CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA);

 

·     Supporting promotion of animal welfare, as opposed to animal rights

initiatives; 

 

·     Opposing the imposition of mandatory restrictions on traditional

methods of animal agriculture production;

 

·     Supporting the development and implementation of patent rules and

regulations which promote and maintain free market competition in regard to

generic production (of expiring chemicals);

 

·     Opposing conservation programs which exclude or penalize producers who

are early adopters of good stewardship practices;

 

·     Support an import fee on foreign-produced energy, to fund the

development of renewable energy;

 

·     Support the development and promotion of renewable energy sources

appropriate to its territory; and

 

·     Support the USDA National Appeals Division to being the final decision

on producer appeal cases.

 

“All-in-all we were pleased with our success in promoting the major concerns

included in the grass-roots policy passed by AFR’s February, 2010 convention

delegates,” concluded Detrick.

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