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12 CapitalPress.com January 16, 2015 Farm Bureau Convention Stallman sees challenges, opportunities for farmers Congress needs to get to work, Farm Bureau leader says By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press SAN DIEGO — Bob Stallman’s vision for the fu- ture of American agriculture includes a consuming pub- lic that understands modern farming and ranching is a business that involves signifi- cant risk and tough decisions. It’s also a place where American agriculture is in a position to “feed the billions of people who will join us on this plan- et,” Stallman said during his opening address at the American Stallman Farm Bureau F e d e r a t i o n ’s 96th annual convention. Stallman, longtime presi- dent of the Farm Bureau and a plain-spoken cattle and rice producer from Texas, laid out the challenges and opportunities that confront farmers and ranchers. Farm Bureau would like to see immigration reform that provides a stable farm labor force, a cure for rail and port congestion and Endangered Species Act rules that “balance species needs with human needs,” Stallman said. The organization also seeks a national approach to food labeling rather than “patchwork” regulations adopted at the state or local level, he said. Stallman said political gridlock in Washington must end. “We’ve had a long winter of division and inaction in Congress,” Stallman said. “Now is the time for Con- gress to get back to work, to do their job so you can do yours. “There are signs that compromise is possible,” Stallman said. “We can’t ig- nore the left and the right, but we can speak to the cen- ter.” Producers too often run into problems with govern- ment regulation, he said. He singled out the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” rule as an example of government over-reach. Many producers believe the EPA wants to ex- pand its control over water quality to include wetlands, ponds and even seasonal ditches on private land. “What they really want to do is take away your control over how you use your land,” Stallman said. He said the Farm Bureau “loudly and clearly” ex- pressed its opposition to the EPA and Corps of Engineers, summing it up with a “Ditch the rule” campaign. “I’ve got two more words for the EPA and the Corps,” Stallman said, quickly adding “No, not those two words,” as delegates laughed. “That’s enough,” he amended. Speaking later to report- ers, Stallman said agriculture must “bridge the knowledge gap” but has benefited from the public’s “inherent fond- ness” for farmers and ranch- ers. “We do a pretty good job of getting our way, if you will,” he said. ‘Show your values first, then show your expertise’ AFB from Page 1 Courtesy American Farm Bureau Federation Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Missou- ri-based Center for Food Integrity, urged attendees of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention to have honest con- versations with consumers about agricultural issues. Speaker: Farmers must engage consumers By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press SAN DIEGO — Charlie Arnot has figured out the best spokesperson to explain ag- riculture’s point of view on GMOs, animal care and oth- er controversial topics. Based on surveys, he knows who the public would believe. “If you find a university scientist who’s also a mom and farmer, that’s your ideal messenger,” he said during a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s na- tional convention on Monday. He was only half kidding. Arnot, CEO of the Missou- ri-based Center for Food In- tegrity, said there is a gulf of misunderstanding and disbe- lief between what consumers believe, what scientists know and what producers practice. The bad news is, the gap is getting wider. The Internet, which was supposed to con- nect us, has done the opposite, Arnot said. “On-line communication has made us more tribal and insular,” Arnot said. “We only communicate with those who share (our) interests.” Arnot’s workshop, “When Consumers and Science Col- lide,” was one of the best attended sessions of the con- vention. Several hundred peo- ple crammed into the meet- ing room, taking every seat, standing along the walls and filling the doorways. Arnot said the public still trusts farmers, moms and sci- entists, but develops beliefs based on what they hear from friends or seek out on the In- ternet. “We are all exposed to complex issues we are not qualified to evaluate,” Arnot said. “Consumer concern and skepticism is understand- able.” Farmers can counteract that by being transparent about practices, acknowledg- ing the risk and offering ac- curate sources of information, he said. “Our goal should not be to win a scientific or social argu- ment,” Arnot said. “We have to have a conversation.” The Center for Food In- tegrity describes itself as a non-profit organization ded- icated to providing accurate, balanced information about the country’s food system. It is decidedly pro-industry; its leadership includes rep- resentatives from Monsanto, the Farm Bureau, Wisconsin dairy producers, university agriculture departments and the United Soybean Board. He could have been de- scribing Stefani Smallhouse, a former BLM wildlife biolgist and a mom who raises cattle and forage crops with her hus- band in southeast Arizona. But Small- house said she has as much trouble commu- nicating with the other side as anyone else. She said an ac- Smallhouse quaintance told her recently, “I don’t eat bread anymore because it’s been re-engi- neered.” Smallhouse was so stunned by the scientific disconnect that she didn’t know what to say, but empathized as a mom. “There’s so many issues you can’t sort them out,” Smallhouse said. “You go to the grocery store and you’re supposed to worry about glu- ten, GMOs, organic? “I think many of us tell our story,” she said. “But how do I compete with the Internet?” She agreed with Arnot’s advice that angry responses to uninformed claims don’t work. “Show your values first, then show your expertise,” she said. “We are too quick to be offended.” Resistance to change emerged during the conven- tion’s policy book adoption process, a day-long affair in which Farm Bureau sets its positions on economic, envi- ronmental, political and social issues for the year to come. Farm, non-farm issues Some of the topics cov- ered by policy have nothing to do with farming. One section declares Farm Bureau is op- posed to the insertion of Mus- lim Sharia law in U.S. courts, while another insists the “Star Spangled Banner,” in English, must remain our national an- them. This year, Farm Bureau’s Resolutions Committee recom- mended deleting the “Family and Moral Responsibility” pol- icy, which among other things defines a family as people who are related due to marriage “be- tween male and female.” Delegates from Arkansas, Indiana and Georgia rose in op- position. “I want this back in our book,” an Indiana delegate said. The vote wasn’t even close; the policy was retained. At a news conference af- terward, Stallman was asked if such policies didn’t unnecessar- ily close off Farm Bureau from segments of American society, such as same-sex couples, who might otherwise support agri- culture. Stallman said the Resolu- tions Committee recommended deletion because it questioned whether the policy directly relat- ed to the organization’s mission, which is to improve economic opportunity for farmers and to improve the quality of rural life. “The delegates made it very clear on the floor that they didn’t want to delete it,” Stallman said. “Our delegates felt very strongly about having that in our policy book, and they put it back in.” A reporter asked if that was wise. “The delegates decide whether it’s wise or not,” Stall- man replied. Stallman, a Texas rice and cattle producer, characterized the policy work as “an affirma- tion of our current policies, with some tweaking.” He said major issues hav- en’t gone away, but decisions in many cases lie with entities oth- er than Farm Bureau. The Waters of the U.S. pro- posed rule and water quality rules will remain “front and cen- ter,” and farmers and ranchers have made their objections clear to the EPA and Corps of Engi- neers. Farm Bureau supports Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), but a legislative solu- tion by Congress is required, Stallman said. Immigration re- form and concerns over who controls farm data are continu- ing issues, he said. Stallman said Farm Bureau benefits from the public’s “in- herent fondness” for farmers and ranchers. “We do a pretty good job of getting our way, if you will,” he said. Leno, Vilsack Comedian Jay Leno, for- mer longtime host of “The Tonight Show,” was Mon- day’s keynote speaker. He drew his share of laughs from the crowd, but some of his material appeared to misfire. At least two of his jokes were ones he told in an episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” show last year. At the convention, an extended bit on obesity and American eating habits fell flat. “Listening to Jay Leno crack junk food jokes in front of an audience of commodity farmers is kinda awkward,” one attendee said on Twitter. Another featured speaker, former Navy SEAL trainer Rorke Denver, tried to relate to the audience in starker terms. Denver said he’d spent time connecting the dots between “farmers and warriors” and had come to a conclusion. “When people are hungry they go to war, they start kill- ing each other,” he said. “If you do your job, I don’t have to do my job.” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s appearances at the convention weren’t so grim. At one point, Stallman called Vilsack on stage, said he was “loyal to the outfit,” and presented him with a “U.S. AG” branding iron. “I know one thing as a fact,” Stallman said. “Secretary Vilsack rides for the brand of U.S. agricul- ture.” The men enjoy a good working relationship, and Vilsack appeared genuinely touched by the gesture. “This means a lot to me, because of the people in this room, and the people you represent who are out on the farms, ranches and orchards today, doing the hard work of preparing the food that we so casually enjoy,” he said. “You are the best at what you do.” At a news conference Monday, Vilsack said he wants to attract new people to farming and increase the diversity of operators. He said one-third of the nation’s farmland is owned by people who aren’t principal opera- tors. With owners aging and selling, “there’s a potential for more and more land owner- ship to get into the hands of people who are not working the land.” He said tax incentives might allow for land transi- tions to beginning farmers. On other issues, Vilsack said hopes for to collaborate with Congress to repair the “broken” immigration system, “bring people out of the shad- ows” and stabilize the agricul- tural workforce. Approval of the Trans Pa- cific Partnership trade agree- ment is important to farmers and ranchers, Vilsack said. Grandin: Ag must ‘open up the doors’ to an uninformed public By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press SAN DIEGO — Temple Grandin, the animal scienc- es professor who transformed slaughterhouses by advocating calm handling and humane kill- ing of meat animals, received the American Farm Bureau’s Distinguished Service Award Sunday. Then she stole the show. Grandin, who is autistic and said she “thinks in pictures, not words,” said agriculture must “open up the door and show what we’re doing.” Given the prevalence of cameras in society, Grandin said producers who operate slaughterhouses — she refus- es to call them the cleaned-up name of “harvest facilities” — ought to ask themselves, “How will this play on YouTube?” Eric Mortenson/Capital Press About 4,500 delegates are attending the American Farm Bureau Federation’s national convention in San Diego through Jan. 14. “Everybody’s got one of these,” she said, holding up her cell phone camera. “You can’t get away from cameras.” She said producers ought to install cameras themselves and display the images on websites for the public to view. “I’m kind of at that point, complete transparency,” she said. “I eat all the meats,” Gran- din said. “Don’t worry, I’m no vegan or vegetarian, but we’ve got to give animals a decent life.” Grandin continued her theme in a free-wheeling news conference. There is an en- tire generation, she said, that doesn’t “do” things. They don’t cook, sew or build, don’t have practical life experience and don’t realize farm systems “don’t always work perfectly.” “I was called a Nazi at Barnes and Noble in New York because I design slaughterhous- es,” she said. The public won’t accept practices such as confining sows in gestation crates, Gran- din said. “You’re not going to sell it to consumers. If you can’t sell gestation stalls at Barnes and Noble, you better start worry- ing about GMOs. “I wish golden rice (engi- neered to resolve Vitamin A de- ficiency, which kills thousands of children annually) had been the first GMO product,” Gran- din continued. “It would have been different.” Farmers and ranchers need to talk about the positive side of GMO development, she said. Controlling weeds with herbi- cides allows for no-till farming practices, which reduces ero- sion. “That’s the kind of story we need to get out there.” Similarly, ranchers ought to be telling how grazing can improve the range, and farmers should invite students to visit farms, she said. “If you don’t expose kids to ag, they don’t get interested in it,” she said. On another topic, Grandin said dairy and beef cattle are so large that she’s beginning to see leg conformation problems. Conditions at the farm can be improved to ease leg problems, she said. Drones, data hot topics at national Farm Bureau convention By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press SAN DIEGO — Drones and data are like the Bigfoot of American agriculture: They’ll turn the industry on its head if they turn out to be real. For the second year in a row, delegates to the Ameri- can Farm Bureau Federation’s national convention packed a workshop on the prospects of using unmanned aerial ve- hicles to fly over fields with cameras and sensors. Backers say drones can provide precise information on crop damage, yields and the effectiveness of inputs. This year, crowds also streamed into a presentation on “big data.” Specifically, who owns the information collect- ed by modern farm equipment, and can farmers sell it like a cash crop to interested parties? The drone presentation Courtesy of American Farm Bureau Federation Kevin Price, a former agronomy professor at Kansas State Uni- versity and now head of research and development for RoboFlight LLC, speaks to members of the American Farm Bureau Federation about the promise drones hold for agriculture. came from Kevin Price, who left his job as an agronomy pro- fessor at Kansas State Univer- sity to head up research and de- velopment at RoboFlight LLC. Price, who spoke at last year’s convention as well, said studies have projected drone technology will be an $82 billion industry by 2025. He said 80 percent of the initial applications will be in agri- culture. “This is a disruptive tech- nology, a technology that will revolutionize the way we work with agriculture,” Price said. But Price said technology adoption is stalled by the Fed- eral Aviation Administration, which is developing rules and has not yet fully approved drones for commercial use. The FAA recently granted an Idaho company, Empire Unmanned, the first exemption for com- mercial ag flights. Meanwhile, multiple com- panies are developing small unmanned planes or helicopters that can carry cameras and sen- sors. “The technology is devel- oping extremely rapidly,” Price said. “It’s changing so fast that what I tell you today will be re- placed in a month or two.” Kansas entrepreneur Jason Tatge led the workshop on data. His company, FarmMobile LLC, sells a “plug and play” device that can capture the data coming off of planters, tractors and harvesters. Farmers can keep the infor- mation or sell it to ag tech com- panies or others, Tatge said. “You control who has ac- cess to it,” he said. “It’s really the Wild West for these data rights. The opportunities for it are enormous.” Tatge acknowledged no one knows how much farm data is worth, although he heard off- hand that a company might pay $3 an acre for information. “Nobody wants to be the first one to pay for data,” he said. “It’s a complete chicken and egg thing right now.” The Farm Bureau and sev- eral ag companies agreed in November 2014 to a set of prin- ciples that declare data belongs to the farmer. Also last fall, the Farm Bureau produced a set of videos that explain the business and personal privacy pitfalls that accompany “big data.”