List Week In Gov't Affairs
Wow, what a week! You will recall that last week I indicated the current week could be a productive one and I am pleased to say that all of our activities this week have even surpassed my expectations! The rally, Farm Progress show activities with legislators and allied industry friends, member contacts to Congress made at the show regarding cap and trade and estate tax, interaction with members at our southern Illinois Farm Talk meetings, a legislator appreciation event at the DuQuoin fair, and a productive meeting with SIU President Poshard all rank high on accomplishing our goals for the week.
Top all this off with a current five game Cardinal winning streak (magic number - 20) and things are looking good! I am looking forward to those playoffs - sorry Cub fans - maybe next year!!
We also were able to secure a meeting with Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack via AFBF that President Nelson will be attending today along with President Stallman and a few other state Farm Bureau presidents to discuss measures that can be taken to address the market conditions in our pork industry. President Nelson is prepared with a long list of items to discuss. I sure hope the Secretary acts with urgency to try and alleviate some of the pain in that industry!
I would like to thank each and every Farm Bureau leader, member and manager who attended the Cap and Trade Rally in Springfield on Tuesday. We had a tremendous turnout and the overall estimated turnout of more than 700 people spoke well of our coalition’s commitment to fighting cap and trade in the U.S. Senate.
I think everyone will agree that Vice President Guebert did an excellent job as the opening speaker, setting the right tone and getting the audience immediately engaged. For those who could not make it to the rally, we will be posting Rich’s comments on YouTube. Jean Payne from the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association also did a great job explaining the impact of Waxman-Markey on Illinois, as did several other speakers representing the coal industry, manufacturers, retailers, home builders and even the Illinois Sheriff’s Association.
Also at the rally the Illinois Manufacturers Association shared some of their polling data on the unpopularity of cap and trade in Illinois. Seven out of ten Illinois voters surveyed in a telephone poll Sunday night opposed cap and trade. We also heard today that the Senate leadership is planning to postpone the introduction of cap and trade legislation in the Senate until the end of September.
Thanks for your continued emails to both Senate offices and look for additional ways to stay engaged on this issue.
Kudos as well to all of the southern Illinois leaders and managers for a job well done with the Legislator appreciation event! Those type of events are so important to keeping and establishing our relationships!
Next week appears to be a busy one as well. We have the Profitability Advisory Team in for a meeting on Tuesday to address continuing concerns as it relates to our profit margin in agriculture. We will be touching base with more members as a couple of district meetings play out. Last, but not least, I have a great opportunity to interact with allied industry and several other agricultural organizations from IL and MO to discuss our federal issues and encourage a coalition approach to working our many other issues.
Whew, I think I will catch my breath and close by hoping that you can find some time this weekend to enjoy friends and family as we close out the summer season with the Labor Day holiday. Thanks for reading and take care!
Issues and Meetings:
Farm Tour: Jim Fraley and Dan Reedy, Manager of the Kendall County Farm Bureau, helped a French group organize a tour of the Mike and Tammy Rosenwinkel farm in Waterman (DeKalb County). They were the gracious hosts of 55 agribusiness professionals that were able to tour a couple of Illinois farms before attending the Farm Progress Show. They also visited the Bob Stuart farm in Yorkville (Kendall County). The Rosenwinkels own the John Deere 48-row planter – the largest one in the state.
State Legislative Update: It is hard to believe it, but the campaign season is upon us once again. Candidate petitions for the February 2010 Primary are already being passed around. At the same time we rolled out a new opportunity for you and your membership to influence that process. We set out this year to set up a pilot program to train individuals to run for political office. This one day pilot program, "Winning Campaigns – The Essentials", covers how to choose to run for office and then how to do it victoriously. The program was successfully put to the test in
Farm Progress Show: On Tuesday, the Illinois Farm Bureau partnered with the Indiana Farm Bureau, Tate & Lyle, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and John Deere to host 12 state lawmakers from Illinois and 3 from Indiana on a tour of the Farm Progress Show. Governor Quinn also toured the show site with President Nelson, Director of Agriculture Tom Jennings, and others. The group held a press conference where the Governor, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, and several legislators discussed the importance of agriculture. The legislators then visited the Pioneer exhibit to learn about the latest biotechnology developments and the John Deere exhibit to see their newest equipment on display.
On Wednesday, the same partners held a second event for Congressional staff members. Staff members from 4 Illinois Congressional offices and 1 Indiana Congressional office attended. Both events helped us show our legislators and staff how farmers are using the latest technology to meet the growing demand for food, feed, and fuel.
St. Louis Cap-and-Trade Discussion: Illinois Farm Bureau directors Henry Kallal and J.C. Pool explained to Congressmen John Shimkus and Roy Blunt of Missouri how cap-and-trade would affect agriculture and their farming operations at a roundtable meeting held Thursday morning at a factory in St. Louis. Shimkus and Blunt serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. About 20 small business owners and farmers were invited to participate in the discussion. Several St. Louis news media outlets covered the hour-long session. Henry did a couple of interviews after the meeting. During the meeting, about a dozen protesters picketed across the street from the plant.
Quote of the Week:
It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse. - Adlai Stevenson
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