From: Iowa Farmers Union <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 12:05:25 -0500
Ag candidate decries pitch by Farm Bureau president
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061012/NEWS09/6101
20403/1001/NEWS
PERRY BEEMAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
October 12, 2006
The Democratic candidate for Iowa agriculture secretary and several
supporters on Wednesday objected to an unusual letter sent to Iowa Farm
Bureau Federation members in which the Farm Bureau president solicited
donations aimed at electing her opponent.
Several Farm Bureau members joined Denise O'Brien at a news conference to
criticize Farm Bureau President Craig Lang for sending the political action
committee fundraising letter in support of Republican Bill Northey, a Spirit
Lake farmer.
"It's a surprise," said O'Brien, herself a member of Farm Bureau. O'Brien's
campaign heard complaints from a number of Farm Bureau members who objected
to Lang's request for PAC donations in a letter on Farm Bureau stationery.
O'Brien didn't receive the letter.
"It's a tight race," O'Brien said. "They want to make sure that their
appointed friend in agriculture has a place in the media."
Northey faces O'Brien in a matchup of starkly different candidates. O'Brien
is an Atlantic farmer and executive director of the Women, Food &
Agriculture Network, a nonprofit education and farm advocacy organization.
In addition to being a farmer, Northey is a former president of the National
Corn Growers Association.
Lang's letter portrayed Northey as a stay-the-course candidate supportive of
today's agriculture and called O'Brien an "activist."
In the letter, Lang called this one of the most important agriculture
secretary elections ever. He told members he had never written such a letter
before but thought it was warranted given the differences in the candidates.
He did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
"She has made her name as an activist who has traveled the state speaking
against world trade agreements and modern farming techniques," Lang wrote of
O'Brien. "She feels strongly that the practices of today's farmers are wrong
when it comes to size of farm, pest control and livestock. She calls herself
'progressive,' but the policies that go with that philosophy are simply not
good policies for Iowa."
Northey, on the other hand, "is one of the finest candidates for secretary
of agriculture we have ever had seek the office," Lang wrote. "Bill Northey
will use this position to carry a positive message that is valuable for
farmers."
A key split: O'Brien supports local zoning of livestock operations; Northey
favors continued state government control of livestock farm locations.
In an interview, Northey said he had not received the letter. He said he
welcomed Farm Bureau support and the backing of farmers who fear O'Brien
would harm their industry.
"There is a lot of concern within agriculture that she does have views that
would negatively impact livestock and biotechnology," especially when it
comes to controlling where new operations are built, Northey said.
Those participating in O'Brien's telephone news conference disagreed.
Farm Bureau member Dick Sokolowski, a Democrat from Cherokee, said, "Farm
Bureau has control of the Legislature. They are afraid Denise wouldn't be
their puppet" as agriculture secretary.
Francis Thicke, a Farm Bureau member who runs an organic dairy in Jefferson
County and is a member of a state environmental protection panel said, "I
thought the letter denigrated and distorted Denise's record. Buying
elections is business as usual for Farm Bureau."
Jeff Klinge, a 25-year Farm Bureau member from Farmersburg, said, "I've
never received a letter degrading a politician this way."
Iowa Farmers Union
PO Box 8988
528 Billy Sunday Rd
Ames, IA 50014
800-775-5227
[log in to unmask]
www.iafu.org
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