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Farm Bureau leaders get energized in Washington D.C.
By Christine Souza and Dave Kranz, California Farm Bureau Two groups of Farm Bureau leaders toured the nation's capitol in the last few weeks, some of them for the very first time, but all wanting to learn more about the legislative process and to promote Farm Bureau policies to protect California family farms and ranches. "It's gratifying to see the leadership and enthusiasm that is developed as a result of the Washington trips," said Bill Pauli, California Farm Bureau Federation president. "Our ultimate goal is to get our members more involved in and familiar with the legislative process and there is no better way to do it than to travel to Washington and to sit across the desk from a key legislator or government official. By traveling to Washington, our leaders and our professional staff at the county level develop a better understanding of the process while also gaining a level of confidence that they can make a difference." One group of 20 county leaders traveled to Washington the week of May 9 with a full schedule of meetings tackling some of agriculture's most important issues. And for the first time, county managers made their way to Washington as a group to get a global perspective of government as well as network with other counties. That trip occurred two weeks after the county leaders' trip. National Affairs Manager Jack King and his staff planned full agendas for both groups?one focused on communicating important issues to representatives and the other an overview of CFBF's role in Washington. "Our organization maintains contacts with legislators and regulators in Washington on a daily basis, but as important as that is, what really makes a difference is when our members travel to Washington and meet with their members of Congress and the regulators," said King. The county leaders' trip featured meetings with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. The delegation also met with members of the White House policy staff, key officials of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the House Resources Committee and Gov. Schwarzenegger's Washington staff. The Farm Bureau leaders split into small groups to meet with nearly three-dozen members of California's congressional delegation, stressing policy goals including the elimination of the federal estate tax, updating of the Endangered Species Act and passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement. At the end of the trip, many members pointed to the hour-long meeting with Sen. Feinstein as a highlight. The group filled a conference room in the senator's office and discussed issues including border pest inspections and water supplies, before focusing on the need to eliminate the federal death tax. The senator listened intently as several members described how burdens imposed by the death tax hampered their struggles to maintain their family farms. At one point, Feinstein noted that those burdens extended beyond the tax itself, to include all the costs to manage estates in order to minimize the tax's impacts. "This is a huge drain on farms," she observed, while noting that farm assets such as land and equipment are different from the cash assets in many other estates. One of the farmers who discussed the death tax with Feinstein, Riverside County Farm Bureau board member Grant Chaffin, said afterward he was impressed by the attention the senator gave to the topic. "I think she really listened, she was genuinely concerned and she was going to take some of our comments and develop them," Chaffin said. The death tax was also the focus of a group meeting with Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who urged Farm Bureau to continue pressing for total repeal of the tax. "You must continue to push for complete elimination," Issa said. "Ultimately, a tax is power and Washington wants the power to spend your money." In his meeting with the Farm Bureau leaders, Secretary Johanns highlighted the benefits of the proposed free trade agreement with Central American nations and the Dominican Republic. He noted that most farm exports from Central America enter the country duty-free, while U.S. farmers face continued barriers in selling to those nations. "Agriculture needs export markets," Johanns said. "It won't work out for us not to be aggressive. When (the free-trade agreement) passes, we expect U.S. farm exports to double to those nations." Farm Bureau has endorsed the agreement, known as CAFTA. During a separate meeting with the California delegation, American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said its passage would demonstrate to other nations that the U.S. remains committed to fair trade. That, in turn, will help U.S. efforts to liberalize agricultural trade during global trade talks, he said. After discussing CAFTA, the death tax and other key issues in the offices of California's members of Congress, Farm Bureau delegates said the visits reinforced the importance of face-to-face contacts in Washington. "I'm pleased that members from Los Angeles or the Bay Area were willing to have themselves or their staff sit and speak with us," Fresno County Farm Bureau vice president Russel Efird said. "We were never shut out or felt that we weren't listened to." "I'm just one farmer and county board member who got a tremendous amount out of the trip," said Yuba-Sutter County Farm Bureau director Sam Nevis. "The more time we spend back there, the more we'll get done." County managers who took part in the week-long "D.C. Experience," met with legislators and agency heads, and experienced the city's rich history, monuments, culture and of course political atmosphere that together energizes all visitors. Denny Lewis, executive manager for the Sacramento County Farm Bureau, said his first trip to Washington was in 1959 and he has returned to the nation's capitol about 20 times since. "This is an incredible part of our country's history. Every time I come, I almost feel like a pioneer. It renews my spirit and it really gives me a charge when I go home," Lewis said. Lewis and other county managers who took part in the trip said they plan to bring back ideas of how to inspire their members. "On this trip I was able to get a broader perspective and better ideas on how to inspire my volunteer leaders to take an interest in national issues," said Bob Perkins, Monterey County Farm Bureau executive director. The purpose of inviting county leaders to Washington, Pauli said, is so they can experience the city, communicate their issues to representatives on Capitol Hill and ultimately motivate their counties. "We are going to have to find a way to do some things to give members encouragement and enthusiasm. We have to find a way to try to motivate and get officers, directors and county leadership to participate," he said. Those who travel to Washington D.C. with CFBF's National Affairs recognize that building relationships is key. "Only our members are in a position to provide first-hand accounts how the decisions made in Washington affect their lives," King said. "A perfect example occurred in early May when 20 of our leaders spent an hour with Senator Feinstein explaining the heartaches caused by estate taxes and its affects on their families. They were able to discuss in detail several personal examples about the financial problems and difficulties in planning for family transitions caused by the death tax. So, whether it's the death tax or ESA (Endangered Species Act) matters, personal and direct accounts are invaluable." County leaders who already maintain a close relationship with their representatives were able to break from the main groups for visits with their legislators and talk about issues. County managers representing Tulare, Kern, Fresno, and Kings counties visited with Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, to discuss air quality issues. Managers from Stanislaus, Merced and Madera Farm Bureaus met with staff of Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, to share comments about the ESA and water issues. Managers from a number of Northern California counties met with Wally Herger, R-Redding, on tax and trade issues. Those new to Washington commented that they appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the workings of Capitol Hill. "This is my first trip to D.C. and it is the perfect trip for me because I am getting a fresh perspective. It's exciting to be here," said Danielle Coleman, Yuba-Sutter County Farm Bureau executive director, who has been on the job only about 90 days. "I don't know all of my county's issues yet, but I've made some good contacts on the trip." Farm Bureau, working on behalf of its members, continued outreach efforts with those who represent mostly urban constituencies such as Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, and Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands. Discussions of agricultural issues also took place at U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA Office of Homeland Security, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Trade Representative's Office and the USDA Forest Service. Another important element to the National Affairs trips to D.C. is being introduced to American Farm Bureau Federation staff. Kern County Farm Bureau executive director Matthew Park has 20 years of political experience and once worked as an aide for former Sen. Pete Wilson. "You get a different perspective being on a different side. I've now gained a perspective of what organizations like CFBF do during their time here. I learned more about AFBF, CFBF's role in Washington and our role as county managers. I plan to motivate our members, especially our board, brief them on issues that are important to Kern County." County leaders felt the trips were especially beneficial in that each provided opportunities to compare notes with other counties and make contacts that could be useful when it comes to addressing local issues. "I'm getting out of this exactly what I thought I might. The six previous trips I went on were narrowly focused. This is an opportunity to get to know some people totally aside of the D.C. experience. I have nothing but good things to say," said Rex Laird, Ventura County Farm Bureau executive director who has been in the position for the past 24 years. Helen Roberti, who has served as secretary of the Plumas-Sierra Farm Bureau for the past 44 years, brought experience, enthusiasm and a love for learning while in Washington and plans to funnel this positive energy back to her county members. "I have learned so much and I think that you are never too old to learn. See all of this gray hair? I'm still learning. Maybe I can inspire a little bit of enthusiasm at home because we do need it," Roberti said. (Christine Souza is a reporter for Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com. Dave Kranz is CFBF manager of media services. He may be contacted at dkranz@cfbf.com.) Articles: Tough row to hoe |
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