Light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully.

We’ve been griping about the lack of a farm bill for sometime now.

Last year, the Senate passed the bill, but the House couldn’t get its act together long enough to do the same. In fact, the House leadership never even called the bill.

But, yesterday, after months of waiting for round two of the farm bill, we finally hit pay dirt. Well, maybe not pay dirt, but at least we started digging.

Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee marked up and passed their version of the farm bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee did the same thing the day before.

But there’s still a long way to go. The approval of the farm bill in Senate and House Agriculture Committees is just the first step in the process. Despite the fact that the bill has made it through both committees, both the Senate and House must call, vote on and pass their respective bills before the two can be combined and sent to President Obama to be signed into law.

So, while this is a step in the right direction, it is just a step. And one step isn’t going to carry us across the finish line in this farm bill marathon. There’s still a long way to go on issues like dairy policy reforms, restoring cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and interstate commerce — all issues that promise healthy and hefty debate when the bill is called to the floor.

And there’s nothing wrong with healthy — or hefty — debate. That is as long as it means there’s progress and passing of the farm bill. After all, the farm bill isn’t only important to farmers — it’s also important to consumers.

Farming is a risky business and the provisions in the farm bill, like disaster programs and crop insurance, allow farmers to more carefully plan for the years to come. And when farmers can plan, consumers can plan on a more stable food supply. In other words, having a farm bill in place to help protect farmers from catastrophic loss and the food supply, everyone wins.

It’s time to put partisanship aside and pass a bill. Because it does more than supports farmers. It supports us all.

Carrie’s Beef With Animal Ag

I wasn’t going to touch this topic with a ten-foot pole — for a couple of reasons, really:

• Personally, I’m not a big fan of Carrie Underwood. I just don’t subscribe to her brand of country music. I’m more of a red dirt girl myself.
• Ag gag bills are so misunderstood it’s sickening.

Then I realized that those two reasons were probably good reasons to talk about this, so here we go.

Carrie has been on the country music scene for some time. At first, her background — growing up on an Oklahoma cattle ranch — seemed like a perfect fit for country music and, maybe, for agriculture.

Then we learned that Carrie was a vegan (don’t get me wrong — if you think being a vegan is healthier for you, go for it. It’s certainly a choice.), and a supporter of the animal rights group PETA.

Now, I love puppies and cats, and animals in general, as much as the next guy. Where I run into problems with PETA is when they accuse me and my family of dairy farmers of being evil, greedy, no-good people for milking our cows twice a day. After all, milking those cows and caring for them day-in and day-out, in the rain, snow, mud, heat, cold and any other weather Mother Nature throws at us, must be cruel and unusual punishment.

I bet the milk on Carrie’s upper lip didn’t taste very good, considering she’s a self-proclaimed vegan…

Unless you’re a Carrie Underwood uber-fan, you probably didn’t know that, due to her PETA celebrity status, she’s been extremely vocal in her opposition of a bill working its way through the Tennessee state legislature.

The bill, HB1191, would require anyone with undercover footage of a farm or livestock operation to submit an unedited copy of the footage to law enforcement within 24 hours of shooting it.

Critics call it an “ag gag” bill, saying the legislation would criminalize whistle-blowing while allowing livestock producers to cover up alleged abuse.  

In fact, now that the bill has landed on Governor Bill Haslam’s desk for consideration, Carrie put her thumbs to work, Tweeting up a storm about the injustice of it all:

Shame on TN lawmakers for passing the Ag Gag bill. If Gov. Bill Haslam signs this, he needs to expect me at his front door. Who’s with me?

Carrie’s Tweets rallied the animal rights troops. But, for me, their opposition of the bill begs an important question: Shouldn’t a group like PETA be happy that a bill working its way through the legislature would work toward stopping animal abuse?

Groups like PETA tend to wait weeks — or even months — before releasing edited video footage to law enforcement. Holding on to the videos for months at a time gives animal rights activists the time necessary to edit footage to their desired maximum effect, and release it at the most opportune time.

But this bill, if approved, would mean that animal rights activists would not be allowed to hold onto footage for an extended period of time, allowing the alleged animal abuse to continue. A violation would be considered a misdemeanor crime and would be punishable by a fine.

Bottom line? A bill requiring undercover video evidence of alleged animal abuse be turned over to law enforcement within 24 hours is a win for everyone. It’s a win for farmers, animal rights activists (if they truly are concerned about animal welfare) and, most of all, it’s a win for the animals, which is why Carrie’s — and PETA’s — beef with the proposed law just doesn’t hold water.

 

Green when being green wasn’t cool.

Yesterday was Earth Day. All over social and mainstream media, talking heads introduced ways in which the average person can help protect the land and “be green.”

And there’s nothing wrong with that. We all live on this planet and are, therefore, all responsible for its upkeep.

For more than 40 years, the Earth Day Network has been calling Americans’ attention to the need for “being green.” According to EarthDay.org, ”the first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed.”

But, long before 1970, American farmers were employing green initiatives. And those initiatives persist to this day. In fact, I would happily argue that farmers were the original environmentalists — and I’m certainly not alone in my thinking. Take a look:

Images like these popped up all over the internet yesterday, reminding anyone who would listen that farmers work, day-in and day-out, to protect the land. Not because it’s the in thing to do right now, but because they rely on that land to provide for their families and yours.

Want to get a better idea of just what kind of “green” things farmers and ranchers do? Check out that last image, provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

What’s more, farmers regularly participate in conservation programs available through the USDA Farm Service Agency, have employed no-till practices in order to reduce topsoil erosion, decreased water use by increasing efficiencies, improved air and water quality by effectively managing nutrients put on their fields and decreased the application of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides through the use the use of genetically-modified crops.

Why do they do it now? Why have they always done it? I think the image above, from www.RealRanchers.com, says it best:

This is our office and our home. This land is where we sweat, cry and rejoice. We are here to protect this land on Earth Day and every day.

Want more information? Be sure to check out The Hand That Feeds U.S. and AgBioWorld.

Illinois Flood Information

Elaine Stone from Fulton County Farm Bureau shares this devastating aerial photo of London Mills.

As many of you know, several areas in Illinois have been hit hard by flooding. The Illinois Farm Bureau is working with local County Farm Bureaus and emergency agencies to ensure residents of rural areas are getting the help they need.

Please continue to check our blog, as well as the Illinois Farm Bureau Facebook page, for updated information on how you can help. For now, here’s the most current information we have: 

April 20 – 8:00pm Red Cross Shelter Update

• East Peoria (Tazewell County) Illinois Central College’s Cougar Plex at 1 College Drive
• Spring Bay (Woodford County) Riversedge United Methodist Church 500 Chicago Street
• Rushville (Schuyler County) Faith Christian Family Church RR#2
• Peoria (Peoria County) Redeemer Lutheran Church 6801 N. Allen Road
• Canton (Fulton County) St…. Mary’s Gym 357 N. 3rd Street
• CITY RUN SHELTER – Ottawa (LaSalle County) Shepherd Middle School 701 E. McKinley Rd
• ON STANDBY – Hanna City (Peoria County) Hanna City United Methodist Church on Route 116
• ON STANDBY – Kickapoo (Peoria County) Kickapoo Township Hall on Route 150
• ON STANDBY – Tilton (Vermilion County) South Side Church of the Nazarene 1629 King Street

 

Photo provided by Blake Roderick, Pike County Farm Bureau

THE FARM POST 2013 FLOOD UPDATE – by Blake E. Roderick, Executive Director of Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus

Good news yesterday from the US Army Corps of Engineers for the Illinois River portion of the 2013 flood. The St. Louis District met with commissioners in Pike and Scott counties, ‘shot’ elevations on the levees, and gave a positive outlook for the Illinois River levee…s. In short, what was shaping up as a major disaster has now turned into a ‘flood’ fight. Levee work begins today at the Scott County Drainage District where IL 100/106 cross the Illinois River at Florence and at the Valley City Drainage District between Valley City and Chambersburg in Pike County. Additional height needs to be added to these levees to hold back flood waters. River levels will remain dangerously high on the Illinois River for the remainder of this week. Some levee build-up and maintenance will continue on the other districts in both counties.

The Mississippi River has crested, is cresting, or will soon crest at all stations throughout Pike County. The levels appear to be below predicted flood heights.

Congressman Aaron Schock will be visiting flood fighters today. He will be in Meredosia on the Illinois River at 12:30 p.m. and at Pike Station on the Mississippi River at 2:30 p.m. Other stops include Beardstown and Quincy. Eleven counties in the 18th Congressional District are part of the 38 counties named last week in Governor Quinn’s disaster declaration.

According to the Pike County Economic Development Corporation, the Florence Bridge is scheduled to re-open on Monday. IDOT has been allowing farmers hauling grain from bins in the Illinois River valley across the bridge for the last few days. The bridge has also been open for transport of sand to staging areas in Scott County. There is a good probability the bridge will be closed again next week due to sandbags on the bridge approach.

The Illinois and Mississippi Rivers closed to navigation this weekend.

The Hawaiian Farm Conversation

Today’s post is brought to your by our good friend and Farm Mom, Katie Pratt, from Dixon, Ill.

By Katie Pratt, Farmer, Dixon, Ill.

In March, My Farmer and I joined four other farming couples in Hawaii to talk to government and media about biotechnology and why it is an important tool on our farms. 

Our ticket to the land of sun and sand was writing an essay that described the reasons we chose to use biotech, and how it benefits our farms, our families, our communities and our environments. Each farmer had a very different story to tell. You can read all the essays here.

The “contest” was sponsored by the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, a non-profit trade organization representing the Hawaiian seed industry.  Its member companies include Monsanto, Dow AgroScience, Syngenta, Pioneer and BASF. 

So, why talk biotech in Hawaii? Because the majority of the genetics found in our seeds today originate on the islands. Here companies spend money, time and resources researching and developing new hybrids and biotechnologies for use on farms around the world.

The island environment is perfect for this type of work. Researchers can pull three trials off their plots annually. The warm, moist climate offers the challenge of constant insect, weed and disease pressures, allowing scientists to fully test their ideas against all Mother Nature has to offer.

Biotechnology is no stranger to the islands. In the 1990s, the papaya ringspot virus decimated Hawaiian papaya farms. Thankfully, Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, a plant pathologist working at Cornell, but with strong ties to the islands, developed a transgenic papaya resistant to the virus. In 1998 the variety was available to farmers and today the papaya industry thrives.

In spite of that success story and the overwhelming economic, social and environmental benefits of the islands’ seed industry, the anti-biotech movement in Hawaii is fierce, loud and extreme, organizing rallies and marches instead of sharing a table and a civil discussion with seed industry supporters. 

During our visit, activists burned two tractors on a Maui sugarcane farm and waved signs and accusations during our events in the state capital. In speaking with employees of the HCIA member companies we learned many receive threats against their families and properties, and one individual told us she had purchased a gun for protection at her home.

The arguments against the seed industry are steeped in the history of the Hawaiian Islands, but also in the anti-Monsanto, anti-GMO rhetoric that grips so much of the food conversation today.  And in Hawaii, the anti-movement is gaining ground. In 2008, activists successfully achieved a ban on research in coffee and taro, two other important Hawaiian agriculture products.  Last month, the state legislature brought a complex, confusing GMO-labeling bill to the floor.  Although it was not passed, the state is now entering a few years of impact research before making a decision.

Sometimes it is hard to connect our farms with forces beyond our front porch. Whether we farm in Illinois, North Dakota, Washington, Arizona or Georgia, we all are and will be affected by the Hawaiian farm conversation. 

I, for one, am pleased that the seeds found in our fields have been researched in these United States by successful companies that choose to operate in this country, pay taxes, and employ fellow Americans in an otherwise not so friendly, sometimes downright dangerous business climate. They could go elsewhere giving the jobs, the money and the innovations to another country. But they stay giving me one more chance to buy American-made.

Want to know more? Check out my three-part series about our Hawaii trip.

Have questions?

About GMOs, that is? This blog post may give you some answers.

I stumbled across it this morning on Facebook and it is an excellent example of a curious reporter going to straight to the source for his answers — the farmer.

Whole Foolishness

As you roam up and down the aisles at the grocery store and begin throwing items into your cart, what drives your decision-making? Are you constantly searching for products with the best price ? Perhaps, you think nutritional value supersedes all or the way the food is grown is most important. Or, maybe it’s a combination of all three.

If you ask Whole Foods, the answer isn’t all three — it’s just one of those things. Sure, they would probably tell you all three factors are important to their customers. But two weeks ago, they decided to throw the other two out the window by focusing on one — the way the food was grown — when they announced a five-year deadline for labeling products in their stores that contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

Anti-GMO groups practically threw parades.

In the end, it is Whole Foods’ decision. They are, after all, a private company. And they aren’t doing this because of a federally-mandated law. Unfortunately, it could cause a ripple effect Whole Foods for which Whole Foods may not be prepared, damaging their suppliers and hurting their customer base.

To put it simply, GMO labeling will drive current prices up and will lead consumers to believe that non-GMO products are more nutritionally complete or safer (which, unfortunately for Whole Foods, just isn’t true). What’s more, labeling could effectively decimate the organic foods market — a niche market that was built and has thrived on the marketability of being non-GMO.

If you’ve been here before, this GMO-labeling-just-doesn’t-make-sense argument shouldn’t be news to you — we’ve covered it before.

But, Whole Foods’ announcement brought the issue back to the forefront. And this time, it got some surprising responses from, well, surprising sources.

Take, for example, The New York Times:

The Food and Drug Administration says it has no basis for concluding that foods developed by bioengineering techniques present different or greater safety concerns than foods developed by traditional plant breeding. Nevertheless, bills are pending in several states to require mandatory labeling of genetically modified ingredients (a referendum to compel such labeling was narrowly defeated in California last November). For now, there seems little reason to make labeling compulsory.

Consumers can already find products free of genetically engineered ingredients, with labels voluntarily placed by the manufacturers.

In addition to buying foods containing voluntary labels, consumers wanting to stay away from foods containing GMO foods don’t have to look any further than the Certified Organic aisle at the grocery store.

The point is, farmers and companies who grow and use GMOs aren’t in the business of hiding information, or sweeping any kind of ‘dirty little secrets’ under the rug. We want the same thing you want: A safe food supply that offers consumers choices and, quite frankly, offers farmers choices, too.

Unfortunately, labeling mandates could make those choices disappear by making the organic market — a market that many farmers and growers have worked hard to develop — virutally obsolete and rising prices for all consumers.