Florida Farm Bureau take their concerns
from the "Field to the Hill"
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- Florida Farm Bureau Federation
members headed to Washington, D.C. this month to visit with
Florida’s congressional delegation concerning issues important
to Florida agriculture, helping the Florida delegation to make
informed voting decisions.
Over 60 members and staff participated in the
three-day effort called "Field to the Hill 2004."
“The investment that our members have made in time and
effort on this trip will pay dividends for Florida agriculture,”
said Carl Loop Jr., president of Florida Farm Bureau Federation.
“I am pleased that our members brought important agricultural
issues to their elected leaders and to the appropriate agencies.”
Issues spotlighted by the farm group included
estate taxes, tropical soda apple, Quarantine 37, sudden oak
death, forestry policies, labor reform, trade policies, the
International Agricultural Trade and Policy Center, dairy policies,
tobacco and methyl bromide.
“This event is an opportunity for congressional
members to meet face-to-face with constituents who are affected
by policy decisions,” said Ray Hodge, coordinator of national
affairs for Florida Farm Bureau. “I am encouraged by the
support and openness we received from our members of congress.”
Congress voted to end death taxes when it passed
the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.
The new law provides immediate relief through rate reduction
and an expanded exemption, with complete repeal occurring in
2010. Unfortunately, the bill’s provisions expire in 2011,
requiring Congress to pass additional legislation to make death
tax elimination permanent.
During a meeting with the Farm Bureau group, Special
Assistant to the President for Agricultural Trade and Food Assistance
Charles Conner discussed the issue. “President Bush has
been responsible for eliminating estate taxes,” said Conner.
“Hopefully, in the near future that will be permanent.”
FFBF members also met with officials from the
United States Department of Agriculture. Monty Knox of Orange
County was part of a delegation that met with Dale Moore, chief
of staff to Secretary Ann M. Veneman, and Ron DeHaven, Administrator
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
DeHaven has the responsibility of protecting U.S.
agricultural and natural resources from exotic pests and diseases,
a great concern to Florida, especially the agricultural industry.
The semi-tropical climate of Florida favors the establishment
of many new species. Some species have become invasive and have
caused considerable damage to ecosystems and agriculture in
Florida, including tropical soda apple and sudden oak death.
“I was very pleased with our meeting with
Dr. DeHaven and his goals for his tenure,” said Knox.
“Especially his plans to strengthen the United States’
borders to keep invasive plants and diseases out.”
“The size and scope of the nursery industry
in Florida is considerable and the climate could be most hospitable
to disease,” said Ben Bolusky, executive vice president
of Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association. “We’re
looking at the science. We want to help APHIS get the support
it needs to combat this and other diseases.” The Florida
Farm Bureau Federation supports continued and increased funding
for scientific analysis, interdiction and eradication of diseases.
One area where the United States Department of
Agriculture, congressional members and Florida Farm Bureau Federation
are in agreement is that policies and laws should be based on
sound science from reliable sources, not faulty scientific data
and analysis used to further a special agenda.
“When we start straying away from science
and commonsense policies, we get into trouble,” said Moore.
“We have to have science to back us up.”
A delegation from the forestry industry met with
Mark E. Rey, under secretary for natural resources and environment.
Rey oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest
Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service. Alan Shelby,
government relations director for Florida Forestry Association,
summarized the visit.
“Overall the trip was very beneficial in
that we secured a commitment from several members of Congress
and the USDA to help us identify funding options for the construction
of a permanent forestry educational pavilion at the state fair
in Tampa,” Shelby said.” We also met with Congressmen
Miller, Crenshaw, and Foley. Each was very supportive of the
Reforestation Tax Act (RTA) and the continuation of the FLEP
(Forest Land Enhancement Program) program funding.”
Authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill at $100 million
over the next 5 years, FLEP was created to provide educational,
technical and financial assistance to private forestland owners.
Due to the recent wildfires in the West, the FLEP money was
diverted to help fund that effort. The President’s recent
budget eliminated the repayment of those borrowed funds to the
program, essentially gutting the program. Alternative funding
options were discussed to continue funding for the program for
the next three years.
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the
state's largest general-interest agricultural association with
more than 150,000 member-families statewide. There are Farm
Bureaus in 62 counties in Florida, where agriculture comprises
a stable, vital leg of Florida's economy, rivaling the tourism
industry in economic importance. Headquartered in Gainesville,
the Federation is an independent, non-profit agricultural organization
and is not associated with any arm of the government. More information
about Florida Farm Bureau is available on the organization’s
website, http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.
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Florida
Farm Bureau Federation