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CapitalPress.com
Friday, January 28, 2022
OFB 2022 Short Session Preview
T
he 2022 Oregon
Legislative Session,
which starts on Feb. 1, will
be one of the most unique
short sessions in recent
memory. With COVID-19
causing bill hearings to
be virtual, and the 2022
elections just over the
horizon, there are a lot
of dynamics at play for
legislators and advocates.
As always, key agricultural
issues top the legislative
interest list, with Demo-
cratic leaders indicating
that ag overtime and the
“Private Forest Accords”
are top priorities.
Learn more about ag
overtime at OregonFB.org
and help tell the story of
how it would hurt Oregon’s
farm and ranch families by
sharing related posts from
OFB’s Facebook page
@ofbinfo and Twitter @
orefarmbureau.
Help advocate for Oregon agriculture during the legislative
session, and all year long, by signing up for emailed OFB
Action Alerts at OregonFB.org/advocacy.
legislation requiring Ore-
gon farms to pay overtime
Oregon Farm Bureau
after 40 hours of work,
(OFB) is working hard
despite a national exemp-
to educate legislators on
tion for agriculture. The
the impacts that an ag
study shows that the likely
overtime law will have on
outcomes will be limited
Oregon’s labor-dependent hours for farmworkers,
farms and ranches; OFB is rather than increased
helping to arrange legisla- take-home pay. Other
tive tours, participating in a impacts of mandated ag
legislative workgroup, and overtime pay on farms
leading a coalition of agri- would likely be increased
cultural groups opposed to mechanization, changes to
the proposal.
less labor-intensive crops,
and smaller farms being
The coalition released
forced to sell out to larger
an economic report that
operations, among other
assesses the potential
detrimental results.
impact of the proposed
Oregon’s farms and
ranches are already at a
breaking point following
the COVID-19 pandemic,
2020 and 2021 natural
disasters, and increased
input costs. As price
takers, Farm Bureau
members cannot afford
higher labor costs and still
remain viable.
OFB is also gearing up
to intervene in a recent
lawsuit filed by labor
advocates trying to force
the courts to adopt an ag
overtime mandate outside
of the legislative process.
the state, tracking wildfire
and predator proposals,
and several other bills of
interest.
On the proactive side,
OFB is bringing back our
predator control district
legislation, working to
restore the ability of land-
Beyond ag overtime, OFB owners to help fund their
is closely tracking the
counties’ wildlife services
“Private Forest Accords,”
contracts. We are also
the name given to the deal advocating for increased
that many environmental
funding for natural disas-
groups just struck with
ter assistance for farm-
several timber companies ers and ranchers, and
around harvest buffers and improved funding for wolf
a potential habitat con-
compensation.
servation plan. This work
With the 2022 elections
builds off 2020 legislation
just around the corner,
that created new pesticide
recent legislative depar-
notification requirements
tures, and several legis-
for forestry work.
lators announcing plans
We have heard significant to run for higher office,
concerns about the nego- elections dynamics will
tiated agreement from
have significant influence
Farm Bureau members
on priorities and outcomes
and will be closely review- in the 2022 session.
ing the draft legislation
OFB needs your support
once it’s released.
to keep Oregon agriculture
strong, vital, and viable!
OFB also is participating
Join Farm Bureau today
in conversations around
at OregonFB.org/join and
water rights enforce-
ment happening due to
sign up for OFB Action
the proliferation of illegal
Alerts at OregonFB.org/
marijuana grows around
advocacy.
Vilsack addresses AFBF Convention attendees
T
wenty Farm Bureau
members from Oregon
attended the 103 rd Amer-
ican Farm Bureau Feder-
aton (AFBF) Convention
in Atlanta, Jan. 7-12. The
group had the opportunity
to hear from many distin-
guished speakers, includ-
ing U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Vilsack also told farmers
and ranchers that the
USDA is committed to
helping them find addi-
tional income streams
by using climate-smart
practices.
“Listening to Farm Bureau
and listening to those in
agriculture, we know that
it’s important to establish a
partnership in this effort to
In his keynote address to
attendees on Jan. 10, Vil- create climate-smart com-
sack talked about the U.S. modities,” Vilsack said.
Department of Agriculture’s “This is not top-down, this
(USDA) work on the Wild- is a bottom-up effort. We
fire & Hurricane Indemnity know it needs to be volun-
tary, incentive-based, and
Program Plus (WHIP+)
available to producers of
program, which provides
payments to producers to all sizes, methods, loca-
tions, and commodities.”
offset losses from qual-
ifying natural disasters.
He also shared his
WHIP+ covers losses of
thoughts on broadband
crops, trees, bushes, and deployment, trade nego-
vines that occurred as a
tiations, and investments
result of disaster events,
in livestock processing
which occurred throughout capabilities.
much of Oregon in 2020
Oregon Farm Bureau
and 2021.
(OFB) President Angi
From left are OFB 1st VP Brian Glaser, Women’s Advisory Council Chair and 4th VP Kristie
Glaser, Crystal Otley of Harney County Farm Bureau, 2nd VP Shane Otley, 3rd VP John
Zielinski, outgoing AFBF YF&R Committee Chair Jon Iverson, and President Angi Bailey at
the 103 rd American Farm Bureau Convention in Atlanta earlier this month.
“It was a great honor to
be able to speak directly
with U.S. Ag Secretary
Vilsack and bring our
issues forward. That’s the
type of unique opportunity
that being involved with
Farm Bureau brings,”
said Bailey.
Stockyards Act, infrastruc-
ture improvements, and
promoting fair competition
in agricultural markets.
On Jan. 11, Bailey, OFB
1 st Vice President Brian
Glaser, 2 nd Vice President
Shane Otley, and 3 rd Vice
“It was important for the
Bailey, along with other
President John Zielinski
administration to work with state Farm Bureau presi- During a recorded mes-
represented Oregon on
Congress in getting the
dents, had the chance to
the floor of the AFBF
sage to convention
WHIP+ program passed
meet with Vilsack after his attendees, President
House of Delegates,
and implemented with
speech and discuss issues Joe Biden expressed
which discusses and
an additional $10 bil-
facing the agricultural
votes upon Farm Bureau
his appreciation for U.S.
lion,” Vilsack said. “We’re industry, including immi-
policy. This policy guides
farmers and ranchers,
working now at USDA to
gration, labor, and regional while highlighting the
the organization’s advo-
simplify the process for
flexibility in Farm Service administration’s priorities
cacy efforts at the national
application.”
Agency programs.
related to the Packers and level. Other delegates
OFB officers elected
Angi Bailey, owner of a
nursery specializing in
Japanese maples and
member of Multnomah
County Farm Bureau,
was elected to serve a
two-year term as Oregon
Farm Bureau’s (OFB)
President.
County Farm Bureaus
from across the state. The
election took place on
Dec. 9, 2021, during the
89th OFB Convention in
Redmond.
Said Bailey: “It’s an honor
to be elected, by individ-
uals for whom I have a
Bailey was elected to
great deal of respect, as
the position by the OFB
president of a remarkable
House of Delegates, a
organization like Ore-
grassroots group com-
gon Farm Bureau. OFB
prised of family farmers
is doing vital work for
and ranchers representing our members, and I feel
grateful and blessed to be
a part of that work.”
Also elected were OFB
2 nd Vice President Shane
Otley, member of Harney
County Farm Bureau;
3 rd Vice President John
Zielinski, member of
Marion County Farm
Bureau; 4 th Vice President
and Women’s Advisory
Council Chair Kristie
Glaser of Linn County
Farm Bureau; and Young
Farmers & Ranchers
Committee Chair Kara
Newly elected OFB President Glass of Jackson County
Angi Bailey
Farm Bureau.
from Oregon were Jon
Iverson, outgoing AFBF
Young Farmers & Ranch-
ers Committee chair, and
Mickey Killingsworth,
Western Region AFBF
Women’s Leadership
representative.
Long-standing frustra-
tion over imbalances in
the meat industry led to
delegates’ calls for greater
transparency in livestock
markets.
As farmers’ labor strug-
gles continue, delegates
also approved additional
policies that build on
existing AFBF policies
regarding the need for
employee stabilization
and reforms to the guest-
worker program.
Recognizing the growth
of urban agriculture and
importance of ensuring
the success of all forms
of agriculture, delegates
voted to create new policy
to support its continuation
and acknowledge its eco-
nomic contributions.
See photos from the
AFBF convention on
OFB’s Facebook @
ofbinfo and Instagram @
oregonfarmbureau.
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