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CapitalPress.com
Friday, July 29, 2022
July 2022
Dear Fellow Oregon Farm Bureau Member:
We are at a key moment in our state and country. It has never been more
important that rural Oregonians vote. Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) is focused on this
historic election where we can choose a better path for our state. The
opportunity for change is in our hands. We must do our part to make it happen.
Regulators are adding costs and barriers to success at an unprecedented rate and
scale. Our work cannot wait for the election alone. Oregon Farm Bureau is on the
front lines leading for the change we want to see right now. If it matters to your
operation, you can be confident OFB is hard at work on the issue.
100 years ago, even though over one third of American families lived on farms and
ranches, there was no collective voice for them in the public policy arena. That’s
why producers like you and I created Farm Bureau.
What does the Farm Bureau name mean in 2022? I recently returned from the
American Farm Bureau Council of Presidents meeting in Washington, D.C. In a span
of 36 hours, I was able to meet face to face with Secretary of Agriculture Tom
Vilsack, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, BLM Director Tracy Stone Manning, US
Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams, Bureau of Reclamation head of
operations David Palumbo, US House Ways and Means Ranking Member Kevin
Brady, and Congressmen Cliff Bentz and Kurt Schrader.
In these meetings I was able to advocate on the issues important to you as an
Oregon producer and I am proud to do so. Farm Bureau has the respect and
attention of these leaders because you and 5.8 million other families across the
country are engaged in making this organization strong and effective. Will we get
everything we asked for? No. Will we be better off for access to these officials and
the chance to share the impacts national policies have on Oregon producers? Yes.
You can’t get the answers you need if you aren’t able to get in the room to make
the ask. Farm Bureau gets us in the room every time no matter who is in the White
House or who is in the majority in Congress.
The future is bright for ag producers, but there are hurdles to overcome on our way
to those opportunities. Because of you, Farm Bureau is a strong voice for
removing or lowering those barriers. Thank you for being a Farm Bureau member
and for making us stronger together.
Angela Bailey, president