THE LAND, AUGUST 19, 2011
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Ag regulation, communication were among forum topics PROGRAMS, from pg. 29A programs. It was pointed out that USDA funding authorized under the farm bill only accounts for about 4 percent of the total federal budget, as well as the fact that food and nutrition programs utilize over three-fourths of the total USDA annual budget. It appears that avoiding major cuts to a variety of USDA programs will pose a significant challenge in the coming months and years, as Congress wrestles with making the necessary budget adjustments to deal with the federal budget deficit. • Regulation in the agriculture industry was the focus of two forums. A panel of agriculture leaders highlighted some of the challenges that farmers, especially livestock producers, face when trying to obtain permits and to meet federal, state and local regulations. The ag leaders also expressed concern for the future regarding potential regulations related to the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, transportation regulations, animal welfare issues, etc. Frederickson was joined by officials from several other state agencies who pledged to streamline the sometimes-cumbersome permitting process for small- to medium-sized farm operations in the state. The state officials also highlighted and
Mark Dayton
Amy Klobuchar
Al Franken
emphasized the importance of Minnesota’s agriculture industry, and the willingness to collaborate with ag industry leaders. The Clean Water Act, which is currently being reviewed by Congress and federal officials, could have far-reaching effects on future practices in production agriculture, affecting everything from tillage, to fertilizer and manure application, to ag drainage practices. Recent high-profile flooding events in the Mississippi and Missouri river basins, along with the growing hypoxia (“dead zone”) area in the Gulf of Mexico, have brought ag drainage and field runoff issues to the forefront. There has been considerable discussion and debate in recent months as to the role of agricultural practices relative to those issues, including whether or not further changes in practices and more regulation are needed for production agriculture. • The forum panel of “Finding a Common Message for Agriculture” represented several ag leaders from commodity groups and ag organizations, who pointed out the disconnect between food consumers and the farmers who produce the food. Many times this leads to a large number of misconceptions about production agriculture. The panel emphasized the need to work with
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teachers and educational leaders, providing them with the tools to educate youth about factual information regarding food production in the United States. The panel also stressed the need for the various farm organizations, commodity groups and others to work together to tell the right message about the agriculture industry. The significant role of the internet and the social media were also highlighted as important ag communications tools for the future, especially to reach younger audiences. • As has become tradition, Farmfest concluded by recognizing more than 70 county “Farm Families of the Year.” It is always interesting to hear the wide-ranging and interesting backgrounds of these farm families and their farming businesses, to see the multi-generational aspect of these family farms, and to realize the tremendous amount of agricultural and community leadership that exists throughout the state. The backgrounds and accomplishments of these farm families demonstrate the diversity and dynamics of Minnesota’s agriculture industry. ••• Kent Thiesse is a government farm programs analyst and a vice president at MinnStar Bank in Lake Crystal, Minn. He may be reached at (507) 726-2137 or kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com.
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