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January 20, 2017 CapitalPress.com 7 Memo from Vilsack awaits next ag secretary When President-elect Trump gets around to nom- inating a secretary of agri- culture — the last unfilled Cabinet position, to the irrita- tion of many in farming and ranching — that person will find a memo waiting from Tom Vilsack, who held the job for eight years under Pres- ident Obama. Some excerpts: “I have made it my priori- ty to ensure USDA embraces all forms of production and producers of all sizes — from organics to conventional, from the smallest to the largest farms and ranches across the nation,” Vilsack wrote. The good, the odd and the stern: A sample of AFBF policy By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press PHOENIX — The signa- ture event of the annual Amer- ican Farm Bureau Federation convention is the final day, when delegates vote on a 350- page book that states what the nation’s farmers and ranchers favor and what they oppose. It is grass-roots democracy in action. Quick, efficient and simple “yes” or “no” votes. No grandstanding allowed, no long speeches. Courtesy is the rule. The votes are tak- en and then it’s on to the next issue. Here’s a sampling of the Jan. 10 voting: • Delegates favored a uni- fied Farm Bill that includes nutrition programs and farm programs together. The vote is significant because some in Congress would just as soon remove SNAP food stamp programs, for example, from the Farm Bill. • They want to rewrite the Antiquities Act, revoke a pres- ident’s ability to designate national monuments and give that authority to Congress. In Oregon, people are worried President Barack Obama will designate an Owyhee Can- yonlands monument before he leaves office. • Farm Bureau members favor transferring public lands from federal to state manage- ment, and administer them for multiple use such as logging and grazing in addition to rec- reation. That’s a big issue in the West, where the govern- ment manages vast swaths of forest and rangeland. • The policy book says humans’ need for food, fiber, shelter and energy shall have priority over endangered and threatened species. Take that, spotted owl, gray wolves, sage grouse and more. • Somewhat oddly, AFBF policy officially opposes any attempt by USDA to substitute yogurt for red meat in school lunches. • Delegates oppose legaliz- ing recreational marijuana use and believe there should be a quarantine on wildlife in Yel- lowstone National Park until they are cleared of tuberculo- sis and brucellosis. “Our support has empow- ered an explosion in the local food movement and significant growth in farmers’ markets and direct sales by farmers to schools, hospitals and other institutions. We have also fo- cused on expanding access to healthier food, implementing the most significant updates to school meals in decades for our nation’s youth, making changes to our programs that ensure mothers and newborns have access to more nutritious food, and helping to reduce child hunger to the lowest lev- el on record.” Vilsack goes on to say ag exports topped $1 trillion since 2009, “far and away the best stretch in our nation’s history.” He said exports make up 20 percent of U.S. farmers’ cash receipts, support more than 1 million U.S. jobs and have de- livered a trade surplus every year since the 1960s. Vilsack said USDA grants and investment programs im- proved life in rural America. He said median rural house- hold income increased 3.4 percent in 2015, poverty rates dropped, rural counties add- ed jobs and rural populations have stabilized and are begin- ning to grow. The continued absence of an ag secretary nominee clear- ly bothered some producers attending the Jan. 7-11 Amer- ican Farm Bureau Federation convention in Phoenix. “It concerns us,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall of Georgia said at a news confer- ence. He said some produc- ers interpreted the delay as a sign that “Mr. Trump does not have a whole lot of interest.” Duvall said it might be there are many good candi- dates and Trump was trying to find the right person. “I hope that’s it,” he said. “We’ve got to trust our new president.” Duvall said he and rep- resentatives of more than 20 other producer groups met with six to eight members of the Trump transition team for 90 minutes the week prior to the AFBF convention. He said the meeting was held at Farm Bureau’s building in Wash- ington, D.C., and resulted in good discussions. Courtesy USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack left office Jan. 13 after eight years of service. He’s left a memo for the next ag secretary, who has not yet been appointed by President-elect Trump. Public lands transfer advocates seeking convention of states to amend Constitution By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press SALT LAKE CITY — A leader of the effort to force the transfer of Western federal lands to state control believes calling a convention of states to change the U.S. Constitu- tion is the best path forward. Utah state Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, said states’ rights advocates are already laying the groundwork for a convention. The federal government owns nearly half of the land in the West, which Ivory be- lieves has tied up resources and put the region’s states at an economic disadvantage. He contends public lands are also in poor health due to fed- eral neglect. Under Article 5 of the Con- stitution, two-thirds of states may call a convention, and proposed amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures. Eight states have already passed resolutions calling for a convention. Idaho has a bill in the works to join the list. Thus far, the constitution has been revised only through congressional action. “Now millions of peo- ple are working to convene a convention of states,” said Ivory, who is a lawyer and was picked as the first senior legislative adviser to the Con- vention of States Project. The project has volunteers working in all 50 states to “re- store the checks and balances that were put in place on our federal government.” Ivory and Idaho Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, participated in a simulat- ed convention of states last September in Virginia, ad- dressing a host of perceived Capital Press File Utah state Rep. Ken Ivory is working toward a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution and force the U.S. government to turn over federal land to the states. federal overreaches. Loertscher said the bill he’s drafting to codify Ida- ho’s support of a convention should easily pass the House of Representatives, and he’s seeking help in the Senate. He said the bill endorses a con- vention to address “fiscal mat- ters, overreach of the federal government and term limits,” and it could encompass public lands transfer. “With all of the federal lands in Idaho, we’re operat- ing with one hand tied behind our back,” Loertscher said. “We don’t have the tax base for all of that land.” Ivory’s home state is also pursuing litigation and con- gressional action to force land transfers. Utah has conducted a legal analysis and set aside $5 million for a federal court battle, and Ivory hopes to “see a much more constitutionally focused Supreme Court.” Ivory believes Presi- dent-elect Donald Trump’s LEGAL Request for Proposal (RFP) AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FEASIBILITY STUDY Si View Metropolitan Park District seeks proposals for consulting services to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate agricultural and natural resource assets at Tollgate Farm, located in North Bend Washington, and to assess how those assets could support alternative scenarios for the redevelopment of the property in a manner that benefits community recreation, local farmers, strengthens the local food system, and increases the local community’s awareness of and engagement with local agriculture. Additionally include the potential opportunities for an agricultural or livestock incubator located on the property, and/or other roles for the property to play in local economic development with particular focus on and around agriculture. For a complete proposal description go to www.siviewpark.org/contracting-process.html. Proposals are due no later than 12:00 Noon on Friday, January 27th, 2017. Questions regarding the proposal should be directed to Executive Director, Travis Stombaugh, 425-831- 1900 tstombaugh@siviewpark.org. selection of Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., for Secretary of In- terior signifies a roadblock toward a congressional solu- tion. Zinke, an avid hunter, has publicly opposed transfer- ring federal lands. “(Zinke) walked out on the Republican National Commit- tee and declined to become a delegate because the transfer of public land was part of the GOP platform,” Ivory said. Brian Brooks, executive director of Idaho Wildlife Federation, believes Idaho sportsmen overwhelmingly oppose public lands transfer, due to the threat of lost pub- lic access and the potential for states to sell the land. Idaho has sold 41 percent of its for- mer state lands, he said. Brooks believes any ave- nue toward forcing a public lands sale is a long shot, but he’s taking the threat serious- ly, as advocates of the concept are well financed. “I feel like there are inter- ests who do not represent the majority of Americans who are going to surround Zinke,” Brooks said. LEGAL CHERRY AVENUE STORAGE 2680 Cherry Ave. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 399-7454 Sat., Jan 28th • 10 A.M. • Unit 4 - Bryan VanDyke • Unit 23 - Adam Wyeske • Unit 52 - Angela & Shayne Barton • Unit 64 - Kristen McDonnell • Unit 70 - Linda Ballard • Unit 85 - Angela Kinzel • Unit 159 - Tracy Bean • Unit 166 - Stephen Shuck • Unit 179 - John Codner Cherry Avenue Storage reserves the right to refuse any and all bids legal-2-2-1/#4 3-7/#4x legal-2-2-4/#T3D ROP-2-2-1/#14 Capital Press 3-4/#14 By ERIC MORTENSON
