Market Farming

["Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>]

Paul and barb wrote:
> And all that Farm Bureau stuff is beside the point when corporate
> agribusinesses have their million$ filling campaign coffers and writing
> legislation.  Join any FB you want, but politics is still about money. And
> all that is still pointless debate for market farming. Market farming is
> not commodity production for corporate middlemen. Can't we do without all
> the smoke and mirrors here?

No smoke and mirrors on the Farm Bureau side of the equation. Some on the
other side though based on the comments we have seen here that suggest that
there is an incorrect perception of Farm Bureau politics.

Although it is true that in the past the FB did not tend to get involved in
campaign contributions, they found some time back that they really did not
have any choice since it was farmers banding together in competition with
... processors, regulations, taxes etc.

So they are involved. Especially at the state level. We have a
disproportionately large input in who the candidates are considering the few
remaining farmers in the U.S. Some of the key candidates in Wisconsin are
there because the FB supported their message when few others did. So we have
many important allies. My state representative comes to many FB functions
and I can directly discuss specific issues with him. It doesn't hurt that he
is a small beef farmer either:)

At the federal level we influence policy as well as help in deciding the
politics. But the city folks swamp most farmers when it comes to most
elections. Luckily, we still get some support.

On a state level, we will ask candidates to come to the FB board (and any
other interested members and media, etc.) and will ask them questions and
then later on we rate the candidates in terms of their expertise and
knowledge of farm issues, other issues that we are concerned with, and most
importantly ... can this person get elected. Then we are able to provide
input as to how the state FB can support pro farmer candidates. Notice I did
not say, pro FB candidates, but pro-farmer. In a recent election then
candidate who was more pro farmer did lose to a city democrat:( but the city
democrat is still pretty open minded and to a limited extent supports
farmers.

In terms of writing federal legislation ... believe me that is something
that we are directly involved with. Almost NOTHING agricultural has gotten
through the congress without FB support. And FB does not discriminate
against certain farm sizes or incomes. They are truly the only big tent
organization out there.

Contrary to what we have been hearing on this list, there is not a lot of
support by farmers for vertically integrated companies. And as we have seen
in the last week the FB is pretty upset about mega companies dumping farmers
contracts entered into on good faith and now terminated as the big boys go
vertical.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Dairy heifers and dairy beef graziers
Viroqua, WI

www.mistyridgefarm.com