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Subject: CHRIS PETERSON EDITORIAL ON FB
Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
Priority: normal

Hi Folks,

The letters and emails keep rolling in regarding recent reports about
the Farm Bureau leadership.  This OP-ED piece is written by   farm
bureau farmer Chris Peterson.  He asked that you help get this
published.  Please contact your local editor and ask them to please
run this important editorial.

Thanks,

Scotty Johnson
Rural Community Outreach Coordinator
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris Petersen
1-515-357-4090
[log in to unmask]

I have become involved in the food policy debate in this country from
the local through state to the national level with unending energy to
bring awareness of and to family farmers, consumers, and taxpayers.
My   activity got the attention and interest of Mike Wallace and “60
Minutes”   as you all  now know!  I do this with the thought that
someday soon we   will get a change in ag. policy and create
opportunities which my   grandparents came from Denmark and Ireland
to pursue which are now   being stolen by corporate America.
Agribusiness is eliminating us by   the thousands while our Farm
Bureau and political leaders watch and do   nothing.  As a family
farmer and Farm Bureau member of many years, I   am disappointed and
feel betrayed by Farm Bureau leadership.  In the   1980’s, Dean
Kleckner, past president of American Farm Bureau   Federation told
us, we family farmers should adopt new technology, put   our families
to work in town, raise mor crops and livestock to save our   family
farms.  We all have, and we are still losing thousands of family
farmers every year due to a failed farm policy.

        I am going to share with the reason for Farm Bureau’s tax
exempt status.

        “An organization representing the rural community and
dedicated to  improving net farm income and the quality of life.”

        Guess what?  They have failed miserably.  Our rural drain of
people, small town main streets, schools, hospitals, and equity
continues to be lost at a record pace.  Farm Bureau brags that they
are the #14 lobbying   group in Washington D.C.  This does not take
into account all of their state lobbying efforts in the legislative
process.

        For decades, Farm Bureau has had within their hands the power
to make things right for rural America.  Right now in this crisis
they especially have the power to change farm policy.  Why are they
not doing it?  Farm Bureau needs to be held accountable for its
misrepresentation of independent production agriculture past and
present!

        While most people assume that Farm Bureau only represents
farmers, their membership of 5 million is in fact insurance holders,
agribusiness interests, financial entities, and some farmers.  What
is the actual percentage of their total membership who are family
farmers? With at most 1.9 million farmers left on the land, we know
why many of these are not Farm Bureau members.

        The farmer membership is dressed down and misled from the
leadership and their agribusiness friends.  For instance, in Iowa,
the Farm   Bureau leadership held “listening” sessions around the
state last summer.  The major issue at every session was the failed
farm policy called “Freedom to Farm.”  By the time the leadership put
together policy, the basic farm policy was no longer an issue, except
for a few minor changes.  We at the grassroots are told, “we should
all speak with  one voice.”  If you only agree on a couple of issues,
we should work with leadership on these and forget about the rest.
This is not democracy or freedom of speech.

        The taxpayers are sending billions out here to help farmers.
The majority is going to large-scale operators and not family
farmers. Consumers are paying twice for this food policy.  Before, we
had an agriculture policy that provided farmers with a decent living
and consumers affordable food while our rural communities prospered!
With  Freedom to Farm, we now are going broke and the taxpayer has
had no choice but to provide this “bailout” of $22 billion last year.
In reality all these multi-nationals are getting their raw products
(grain, livestock, etc.)   bought at under the cost of production
(or worse yet---becoming the “farmer” ) at the expense of family
farmers, rural communities, and the taxpayer .  It is really a
corporate subsidy for agribusiness in addition to record profits for
agribusiness.  Consumers are paying the same or more  while the gap
between the farm and retail price continues to expand.

        A lot of us family farmers have decided enough is enough –
Farm Bureau, National Pork Producers Council, and most other
commodity groups don’t represent us anymore because of their ties to
corporate America.  This is one  reason  why we had the Rally for
Rural America which I was involved in.  The National Farmers Union,
Family Farm Coalition, and smaller family farm organizations are
working hard for family farms.  I encourage the press to carry our
message to all farmers to   take a long hard look at your farm
organizations and commodity groups.    Do they have yours, the
consumer, and the nation’s best interest at   heart?  Or do they only
care about their own special “self-interests”!

        I personally have and encourage everyone to tune up the
pickup, buy some low cost airline tickets for some trips to Des
Moines and Washington D.C., and kick over some rocks to see what’s
there and what   runs out!  Like farming it’s good to be  working for
our own destiny for a   change – Besides, every politician,
organization, etc. have been more than eager to hear from actual
family farmers instead of disconnected leadership – and the list of
friendships and allies never quits growing!

        Remember, ag. policy is food policy.  It concerns all
Americans. Who do you want producing and controlling your food?
Family farmers  or the multinationals?

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