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CapitalPress.com
Friday, January 22, 2021
Biden: Farmers tell President their hopes, fears in their own words
Continued from Page 1
Our priorities include:
• Enhancing trade opportunities around
the world for U.S. dairy.
• Ensuring that borders remain open
to foreign-born labor markets and that
we enhance workers’ abilities to remain
employed in the U.S.
• Encouraging long-term prosperity at
the farm and processing plant levels.
• Working with ag as a solution, not a
primary cause, of climate change.
• Protecting dairy in the very depend-
able school lunch program as a key source
of protein and nutrition.
Dairy farmers remain committed to
feeding the world with safe and nutritious
food, and we see ourselves as catalysts of
change. So, while the path to solving these
issues may be complex, dairy farmers
stand ready to collaborate and co-create
a future where U.S. agriculture remains
strong and a key player in solutions for a
healthier globe. We look forward to work-
ing with your cabinet choice, Secretary
Tom Vilsack and your administration, to
keep U.S. agriculture thriving.
— John Brubaker is a Buhl, Idaho,
dairy farmer, vice chairman of Dairy
West and a member of the farm leader-
ship team serving the U.S. Dairy Export
Council.
POTATOES
Washington FFA
I’m a third-generation potato farmer
The Washington FFA state officer team. From left are Secretary Gunnar Aune, Treasurer Alissa Whitaker, President Cole Baerlocher,
who sees much potential in her commu-
Vice President Lauren Stubbs, Reporter Haley Gilman and Sentinel Tysen White.
nity and state. But that potential remains
munity needs to be looked at as a solution
gram will increase costs and reduce
Thank you for listening.
at risk without thoughtful, proactive
provider in this issue. We need to be part-
the availability of the workers
— Andrea Davis owns and operates
leadership at the national level to
nered with to improve our carbon captur-
farmers need to produce these
Kings Valley Gardens U-Pick Blueberries
address a range of agricultural
ing ability rather than have the cost of our
crops.
in Monmouth, Ore.
issues, including:
• Competitive trade agree-
inputs increase and harm the production
Dams and water projects
HAZELNUTS
ments: Idaho agriculture
of the very products that will help resolve
make America great by pro-
Agriculture and natural resource indus-
ducing clean, reliable hydro-
depends in large part on
the issue. Oregon’s trees, plants and crops
tries have always been a major identity of
power and making Western
sequester carbon. Please give us the oppor-
exports. Market access will
tunity to help solve the climate crisis.
the United States, providing food and fiber
America one of the most pro-
help support a sustainable ag
ductive agricultural regions in
These are only two of many import-
not just within our borders but glob-
economy in Idaho for the next
Britt Raybould
ally. Our great nation is known for
ant issues facing our industry and
the world. The wrong modifica-
generation.
tions to regulatory regimes such
• Reliable infrastructure: It’s
quality rather than quantity, and
our great nation. We implore
time to repair our transportation networks
as the National Environmental Policy Act,
it’s taken generations to get us
you to be a leader. Please act
and build fast broadband to reach all our
Endangered Species Act, Waters of the
here.
and move this great nation
forward!
communities. Reliable networks, both
U.S. and a host of others can be devas-
I do have some requests
tating to all farmers and the ability of our
— Mark Bigej is
physical and digital, will help the U.S.
on behalf of an entire
irrigation districts to deliver water in an
co-owner and chief opera-
stay competitive in a global market.
industry — fight for farm-
ers, ranchers and foresters
tions officer of Al’s Garden
• H-2A modernization: The current
efficient and reliable manner.
H-2A guestworker program doesn’t meet
Center and Greenhouses LLC
because we quite literally feed
In irrigated agriculture I have great
Bryan Harper
in Oregon.
the needs of Idaho agriculture. Even tar-
the world, and the world wants
confidence in our local and regional peo-
ple at the Bureau of Reclamation. It is my
geted changes, like a long-term solution
what we can grow. Consider how
FFA
hope that a new Biden administration will
to the Adverse Effect Wage Rates, would
your policies may affect our natural
We understand the journey you are
listen to them and us before they put forth
help our farmers significantly.
resource industries. Farmers and the like
• Regulatory reform: Regulation is
about to embark on is not easy, but as the
costly and unworkable new regulations.
have very little within their control every
rarely a silver bullet and often a danger-
next generation of America’s leaders and
— Charles Lyall is a farmer in Mat-
season. We can do everything right and
tawa, Wash.
ous trap. Proceed with caution and take
agriculturists, we believe your term will
still come up short. Mother Nature is the
the time to involve the ag community in
be marked as successful if you consider
biggest culprit of that, but politics can be
ORGANIC
the review process.
the three cornerstones of our organization:
just as damaging.
None of these concerns are new, but
Growing Leaders, Building Communities
Whether we like it or not, agriculture
BLUEBERRIES
their urgency is becoming greater as we
and Strengthening Agriculture.
is a global enterprise and you must keep
Congratulations and welcome! My
see other nations growing more com-
We implore you to embody these ide-
our industries competitive nationally and
petitive. Do not miss this opportunity to
als by encouraging the youth of our coun-
partner John Madsen and I own and oper-
in the global market. We breathe the same
try to graciously serve others through fair
ate a small U-pick blueberry farm
ensure a healthy future for U.S. agricul-
air, drink the same water and the
ture, which benefits the whole country.
in rural western Oregon. We’ve
and just leadership while pursuing their
land is our livelihood, so let’s get
— Britt Raybould is a Rexburg,
used organic practices for 22
passions. In turn, their actions impact
the dialogue going.
Idaho, potato farmer and president of the
those around them, fortifying and build-
years.
— Bryan Harper is owner
ing their communities. Now more than
National Potato Council.
My biggest wishes for the
and operator of Harper
ever, we need to strengthen our commu-
USDA under your adminis-
Farms Inc. in Junction City,
TREE FRUIT
nities to address the challenges our coun-
tration are that:
Ore.
Farmers and ranchers, big and small,
try is facing.
• At least a small fraction
NURSERY
are on the production floor of the Amer-
Finally, we urge you to promote the
of the billions of dollars of
ican economy and are filled with trepi-
Our
country
needs
our
agricultural
industry by advocating for
subsidies for rice, corn, wheat,
Andrea Davis
dation about the incoming Biden admin-
factual information and delegating respon-
elected officials to work on com-
cotton and soybeans grown by
promising on issues and mov-
sibilities. Agriculture has not ceased
istration. On many issues we fear that
huge corporate farms will be redi-
ing forward. We need you to take action
rected to small farms that practice organic
nor shied away in the face of adversity.
favorable advancements made under
Hard-working American agricul-
on important topics, not sidestep
and regenerative agriculture.
(President Donald) Trump will be
turists house, clothe and feed
them. The fabric of the nursery,
• Black people, indigenous
erased or go backwards under a
billions, not just domestically,
greenhouse and retail industry
people, and people of color will
Biden presidency. Increased
but globally. It is your duty
is family-owned — not some
be recruited for grant review
regulation of agriculture will
to be well-versed on the pos-
“corporate” operation. Agri-
panels and USDA advisory
negatively impact our bottom
culture is a vital part of the
itive impact American agri-
committees.
line and competitiveness in
culture is making in the lives
community and we are proud
The USDA will re-es-
a brutal global marketplace.
tablish the organic and sus-
of all and provide support
of our stewardship and envi-
The legacies of past Demo-
ronmental ethic, but we face
cratic administrations’ regula-
tainable agriculture policy
as our industry continues to
tory regimes is the euthanasia
big issues.
adviser position, which was
meet both domestic and global
Mark Bigej
Charles Lyall
of small and independent farms,
One of the major issues that
eliminated under the Trump
needs. We are excited about the
which favors the ascension of cor-
continues to not be addressed is
administration.
future of agriculture and youth
porate agriculture and foreign ownership
development dedicated to growing lead-
immigration reform. There is a very real
I would also dearly love to see the
ers, building communities and strengthen-
of American farmland.
labor shortage in agriculture, and it is high
Americorps/Vista program expanded,
Labor is the single most expensive
ing agriculture.
time that we put politics aside and act. We
with farm labor as an option. If young
input for many specialty crops such as
— The 2020-2021 Washington FFA
need a comprehensive immigration solu-
folks from the city were encouraged to
tion that will lead to a sufficient legal
apples, cherries, hops and berries that
Association State Officer Team is Cole
serve in rural areas, and if young folks
workforce.
Washington state leads the nation in.
Baerlocher, president; Lauren Stubbs,
from farms and rural areas could serve in
Another major issue facing the coun-
Dairy, wine grapes, pears and produce are
vice president; Gunnar Aune, secretary;
the city and be listened to and validated,
try is the reduction of our collective envi-
also labor-intensive. Additional regulation
Alissa Whitaker, treasurer; Haley Gil-
perhaps we could begin to heal the con-
ronmental impact. The agricultural com-
tentious divide between “red” and “blue.”
man, reporter and Tysen White, sentinel.
and the wrong changes to the H2A pro-
Owl: Roughly 80% of national forests are
in reserves, logging is mostly prohibited
Inslee: Governor’s plan calls for increasing
minimum benefit to $270 a week from $201
Continued from Page 1
Continued from Page 1
to be managed for sustained
timber yields, he said. These
forested O&C Lands — Ore-
gon & California Railroad
Revested Lands — exist in a
checkerboard pattern in West-
ern Oregon.
“The BLM doesn’t have
any discretion,” Fite said.
The Center for Biologi-
cal Diversity, an environmen-
tal group that opposes the crit-
ical habitat reduction, believes
the significant increase in
excluded acreage in the final
rule will make it vulnerable in
court.
“Whatever the agency
does, the final rule has to be a
logical outgrowth of the pro-
posed rule,” said Ryan Adair
Shannon, an attorney with the
organization. “What it doesn’t
allow for is to come out with
a completely different rule, lit-
erally an order of magnitude
larger than the first.”
The environmental group
disagrees that O&C Lands
must be managed for “indus-
trial timber” and doesn’t
believe critical habitat is
incongruous with “matrix”
lands in national forests, said
Noah Greenwald, its endan-
gered species director.
Logging can still occur
within critical habitat if an
Endangered Species Act
“consultation” occurs over a
project’s impacts, he said. “It
wouldn’t preclude and hasn’t
precluded timber sales from
moving forward on those
matrix lands.”
While the Center for Bio-
logical Diversity argues that
reducing the owl’s critical
habitat amounts to a “nail in
the coffin” for the species, the
American Forest Resource
Council counters that barred
owls, a competing species,
and wildfires pose a greater
hazard to the iconic bird.
However, the organiza-
tions can agree on one thing:
The new critical habitat desig-
nation will result in litigation.
“I have no doubt it will be
challenged,” said Shannon.
The rate would go up,
but not as fast. The Inslee
administration character-
izes that as a tax “cut.”
By 2025, however, the
bill would come due. Under
the governor’s plan, the
average tax rate would be
2.23%. Under current law,
it’s projected to be 1.8%.
The governor’s plan
also calls for increasing the
minimum benefit to $270
a week from $201 a week.
The state projects paying
out $3.3 billion instead of
$3.1 billion.
“Under the proposal,
Washington will main-
tain the highest weekly
minimum benefit amount
in the nation,” said Dan
Zeitlin, policy director for
the Employment Security
Department.
The governor’s proposal
also allows older workers
and those with health prob-
lems or who live with some-
one at risk to quit during a
public health emergency
and collect unemployment.
The Senate labor com-
mittee took testimony on
the governor’s plan, con-
tained in Senate Bill 5061.
It was endorsed by the
Washington State Labor
Council and the Washing-
ton Hospitality Association,
whose members, restau-
rants and hotels, face crush-
ing unemployment tax bills.
Some other business
groups said that while the
bill delays some of the pain,
it still raises taxes during a
recession. They said law-
makers should do just
enough to get the unem-
ployment fund through the
pandemic, without taxing
employers out of business.
“Although the system
has been stressed, getting
people back to work is a
self-correcting mechanism
and should be priority one,”
Washington Retail Associ-
ation lobbyist Bruce Beck-
ett said.