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Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Scotty Johnson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "(Farm Bureau Investigation}" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 15:34:11 -0700
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Subject: INVESTIGATION UPDATE
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Hello Folks,

I am contacting you with an update on the Farm Bureau=20
investigation and asking your assistance. =20

THIS EFFORT NEEDS YOUR HELP!

It is rumored that in response to the recent "60 Minutes" expose,=20
Farm Bureau leaders are spending truckloads of money doing=20
public relations damage control.  We hear that the Iowa Farm=20
Bureau alone has spent $250,000.  What is most revealing is their=20
response.=20

Instead of addressing the allegations raised in the broadcast about=20
Farm Bureau leaders =93stock options=94, =93agribusiness investments=94,=20
and other =93conflicts of interests,=94  farm bureau leaders chose to=20
discredit =9360 Minutes.=94  They claim =9360 Minutes=94  may have been=20
=93duped=94 by =93extremists environmentalists. =93  (Ohio Farm Bureau=20
=93Special Track=94)

While applying the definition =93extremist=94 to Defenders or Wildlife, or=20
GREEN is patently false, it is also humorous to believe a reporter=20
of Mike Wallace=92s stature could =93duped.=94    What seems =93extreme=94=20
in all this is their refusal to answer the allegations.=20

Farm Bureau leaders need to come clean.  If they truly care about=20
=93family agriculture=94  they need to admit their giant agribusiness=20
financial ties, apologize, correct the problem and begin to support=20
their farmer members.

This, however, does not appear to be in the making.

Instead, it is going to require that some courageous public=20
official(s) stands up to Farm Bureau=92s power and calls for an=20
investigation. =20

Please take a few moments today and contact your elected=20
officials and challenge them to do something to help the=20
environment and family farmers.   I have included a sample letter=20
that you might send, either by mail or via the internet.  Also, please=20
take a moment and call your state and federal congressional=20
representatives. =20

Remember, every voice counts.

To find a phone number for your federal congressional officials go to:
<{ GOTOBUTTON BM_1_ http://clerkweb.house.gov/mbrcmtee/mbrcmtee.htm>}http://=
clerkweb.house.gov/mbrcmtee/mbrcmtee.htm>

Then click on =93Official Members Telephone Directory =93

Scotty Johnson

Rural Community Outreach Coordinator
GREEN GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network
520 623-9653

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAMPLE LETTER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Member of Congress:

As your constituent, I am urging you to initiate an investigation into=20
the corporate  ties, business activities and lobbying objectives of=20
the American Farm Bureau  Federation and also its special tax=20
break. As you may have seen in a recent 60  minutes broadcast,=20
Farm Bureau leaders are not only advancing an extreme anti-
environmental agenda, they are profiting handsomely from=20
corporate  agribusinesses, while American farmers are going=20
broke. Meanwhile, American tax payers are called to foot the bill=20
for massive farm bailouts ($22 billion- 1999)  resulting from=20
agribusiness driven farm policy. Furthermore, these activities are =20
financed by a unique tax break which allows the Farm Bureau to=20
avoid paying taxes  on much of their income.

Unfortunately, the recent CBS expose only scratched the surface=20
of Farm Bureaus  operations. A more comprehensive report by=20
Defenders of Wildlife, entitledAmber Waves of Gain has brought to=20
light further allegations. =20

Please consider the following points:

The Farm Bureau is not the organization of farmers it claims to be.=20
A  substantial portion - as much as eighty percent by some=20
estimates - of its membership has no interest in agriculture=20
whatsoever.  This vast majority of members have no right to vote on=20
the Farm Bureau's agenda or its  officials. The Farm Bureau has=20
built a huge insurance and financial empire that has ownership=20
interests in "for-profit" businesses with interests that compete with=20
their farmer members.=20

The Farm Bureau has taken advantage of its tax-exempt  status to=20
advance  an anti-family farm and generally extremist political=20
agenda that seems to have little or nothing to do with the purposes=20
for which it was awarded its  special non profit status.

The Farm Bureau may have intentionally mis-represented its=20
interests to  Congress to receive a special tax privilege passed as=20
part of the 1996  "Small Business Jobs Protection Act" which=20
exempted them from paying  the Unrelated Business Income Tax=20
on non-farmer membership dues.

Still, these reports, like the tip of an iceberg, may only reveal a=20
small portion of the questionable activities surrounding the Farm=20
Bureaus immense financial and  political empire.

I strongly implore you to demand accountablility and transparency=20
from this powerful and elusive organization.  Please do the right=20
thing and call for an  investigation of the American Farm Bureau=20
Federation.

Sincerely,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BACKGROUND

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) -- with its roughly=20
3,000 constituent  state and county farm bureaus -- ranks among=20
the richest and most powerful non- governmental organizations in=20
America. The organization was recently listed by  Fortune=20
Magazine as the 14th most powerful lobbying forces on Capital Hill.=20
  AFBF claims to have more than 4.9 million members. It has=20
artfully portrayed
itself as the voice and champion of our nations family farmers for=20
nearly 80 years. The vast  majority of the Farm Bureaus members,=20
however, have no connection to farming or agriculture and are=20
instead simply policyholders of one of numerous insurance =20
companies affiliated with state farm bureaus or are customers of=20
other farm bureau  business ve n t u res. (At latest count there we=20
re some 54 farm bureau
insurance  companies.) Such members have no vote in selecting=20
the Farm Bureau leadership or  say in establishing or carrying out=20
Farm Bureau policies.

Because of the Farm Bureaus intricate web of nonprofit and for-
profit businesses,  it is hard to estimate the organizations total=20
worth.  However, it appears to take in  more than $200 million=20
annually from membership dues, more than $12 billion in  revenue=20
from its cooperatives, and more than $6.5 billion annually in net=20
insurance  premiums.=20
=20
The Farm Bureau has a history of controlling the very=20
congressional committees  charged with overseeing issues related=20
to agriculture. The last time a congressional  subcommittee=20
chairman tried to investigate them was in 1967 when=20
Representative  Joe Resnick (D-NY), acting as chairman of the=20
subcommittee on rural poverty, did  so. His inquiry was=20
unceremoniously squashed when the Farm Bureau complained  to=20
House leaders. Following this incident Resnick's chief of staff=20
Samuel
"Sandy"  Berger, the current Chief of the National Security Council=20
wrote, "the Farm Bureau  is far more than simply an organization of=20
farmers, as it so often claims. The  nation's biggest farm=20
organization has been quietly but systematically amassing one  of=20
the largest business networks in America, while turning its back on=20
the deepening  crisis of the farmers whom it supposedly=20
represents."
=20
In 1996, Congress slipped into law a provision exempting the Farm=20
Bureau from  paying taxes on virtually any kind of membership=20
dues.  Since the Farm Bureau  collects membership dues from=20
millions of people who are not involved in agriculture, this translates=20
into tens of millions of tax-free dollars
from these  unrelated business activities. By our estimate, the=20
Farm Bureau avoids paying nearly $61million annually in taxes on=20
unrelated business income. In addition to the anti-farmer agenda=20
portrayed in the 60 Minutes expose, AFBF  spends a great deal of=20
money and time opposing environmental laws such as the =20
Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air and Safe Drinking Water=20
Acts,
wetlands laws  and pesticide regulations. It regularly opposes=20
government regulation to reduce air  and water pollution and=20
pesticide use and to protect wildlife, habitat, rural amenities  and=20
food quality. It is critical of efforts to counter global warming and=20
has  advocated abolition of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It=20
has launched lawsuits  to halt reintroduction of endangered gray=20
wolves. It is allied politically
with, and  provides funding for, right-wing interests and the so-
called wise-use movement,  which works for the supremacy of=20
private property ownership and against the  protection and=20
conservation of public lands. In addition, the Farm Bureau takes =20
other extremist positions, including eliminating the U.S.=20
Department of Education;  slackening child labor laws; and=20
repealing the voting rights act of 1965.

Plenty of farmers and ranchers see common ground with=20
environmentalists. Some  are Farm Bureau members who cannot=20
make their voices heard. Others have=20
 dropped their membership and are working for change in other ways. Yet the=20
Farm  Bureau has pursued a deliberate strategy of fostering enmity between=20
farmers and  environmentalists, two groups that could benefit from working=20
together. To view or download a copy of Defenders report, Amber Waves of Gai=
n:=20
How the  Farm Bureau is Reaping Profits at the Expense of Americas Farmers,=20
Taxpayers  and the Environment logon to Defenders web site at=20
<www.defenders.org> <
{ GOTOBUTTON BM_2_ http://www.defenders.org>}  =20
Finally, you might want to inquire whether your insurance company=20
is owned by the Farm Bureau, because if so, you are probably a=20
member whose dues are used in ways you don=92t approve.