Farmers will tackle wide-ranging issues at MFB 91st Annual Meeting
Government streamlining, wildlife controls, federal farm programs on agenda
Contact: Sarah Black, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2040
LANSING, Nov. 18, 2010 - Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) members will have a full plate of issues to chew on when they gather for the MFB 91st Annual Meeting to adopt policy for the state's largest general farm organization. The table talk will cover a variety of important and intricate issues including state government streamlining, food safety, controls for feral swine and other wildlife management concerns, anticipated re-writes of the federal farm bill and national dairy policy, as well as national health care and much more.
The meeting, which takes place Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, is the core of MFB's grassroots policymaking process, and involves 486 voting delegates representing MFB's 67 county Farm Bureaus and more than 48,000 member farm families.
Delegates will consider 153 resolutions that have been consolidated by MFB's 20-member Policy Development Committee from 860 resolutions first approved by county Farm Bureaus. Resolutions adopted at the meeting dealing with state issues will direct MFB action in 2011. Adopted resolutions dealing with national issues will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) for consideration at the AFBF 92nd Convention and Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 9-12, 2011.
Some resolutions propose new organizational policy but most amend or reaffirm existing policy. Highlighted here are some of the policy matters that delegates will consider. These are PROPOSED policies and DO NOT become official policy of MFB or AFBF until adopted by delegates at the respective Farm Bureau annual meetings.
Additional information about MFB's annual meeting is available at http://www.michfb.com/annual. A video explaining MFB's policy development process is also available online at http://www.michfb.com/policy/development under the "Learn More" column.
Game Farms and Hunting Preserves
How can Michigan eradicate its growing feral swine population without infringing on the rights of individuals who operate swine game farms and hunting preserves? This is the challenge addressed in MFB policy on game farms and hunting preserves.
Delegates to the MFB annual meeting will be asked to reaffirm existing MFB policy which recognizes the importance and benefits of game farms and hunting preserves to the state, but also calls for dramatic measures to eradicate problematic feral swine, including supporting a moratorium on new swine game farms and hunting preserves. The concern is that feral swine can transmit disease to hogs raised on conventional farms and destroy crops and property, and there runs a risk of hogs from hunting facilities escaping into the wild.
The proposal that will go before delegates suggests expanding animal identification requirements for swine hunting facilities by demanding that the operations stock only sterile animals or those with tattoos and electronic animal ID which provide permanent and individual identification.
It further recommends that all farms supplying hogs to game farms and hunting preserves be required to ID swine in this same manner while the hogs are young and weigh no more than 50 pounds or before they leave the farm.
These requirements are on top of existing policy language which calls for swine game farm and hunting preserve operators to follow a variety of management practices, such as proper fencing and recordkeeping along with disease testing of all incoming and outgoing animals.
"Until these rules are implemented, we demand a quarantine be placed upon all swine hunting operations," the policy reads.
"Farm Bureau anticipates this proposal may not be popular among all farmers, but the state Policy Development Committee believes these controls are necessary to eradicate feral swine and protect Michigan's commercial swine sector and agriculture industry as a whole," said Sarah Black, director of the MFB Public Policy and Commodity Division.
Wildlife Management
In other natural resources matters, no major changes are proposed to MFB's existing policy on wildlife management. This means delegates will be asked to reaffirm the organization's position supporting a statewide ban on baiting and feeding of free-ranging deer.
While MFB recognizes that the ban has negative impacts on growers who produce crops used for deer bait and feed, the drastic step is necessary to help stop the spread of devastating diseases such as bovine tuberculosis which can be transferred between free-ranging deer and domestic cattle as well as chronic wasting disease which can spread between wild and farm-raised deer.
Streamlining Michigan Government
For the first time last year, MFB members adopted policy devoted to streamlining Michigan government. Delegates now have the opportunity to reaffirm that stance with a few changes.
"The policy proposal on the table stays true to its roots in pushing for increased government efficiencies, particularly in the areas of human services, corrections and education which remain the state's costliest departments for general fund spending," said Black, "and it refines Farm Bureau's recommendations for initiating the government streamlining process."
Recommended action steps including the following:
- Michigan must be more vigilant in addressing fraud and duplication within human service programs.
- The state Corrections Department should analyze its cost-drivers and look for potential budget savings, such as changes to sentencing guidelines and the administration of prisoner health care and other services.
- Michigan's education system should explore opportunities for increased efficiencies such as privatization of services and consolidation of districts.
- Within higher education, competition for state funding among Michigan's 15 publicly funded universities should be minimized, and there should be no duplication of state-funded university research efforts.
The policy also touches on the 2010 election and Michigan's mass turnover in all branches of state government by calling for less partisanship and "a clear expectation of statesmanship on the very difficult and important issue of reforming and streamlining Michigan government."
"While agriculture is not the expert on all the issues outlined in this policy, we will work to advance policy solutions that will create a better and more efficient Michigan government," the resolution reads. "We will hold elected officials accountable for their ability to operate as statespersons acting in the interest of citizens to address these core issues."
National Farm Policy
What's the right course of action to ensure U.S. food products remain on grocery store shelves at affordable prices and agriculture remains a viable industry in Michigan? Is the answer to keep national farm policy the same? Or are changes to the federal farm bill necessary?
Delegates will consider these and other weighty issues in determining MFB's position on national farm policy. The current farm bill, adopted in 2008, expires in 2012. Beginning next year, the incoming Congress is expected to start proceedings for the bill's re-write.
The policy resolution that will go before delegates recommends maintaining the course of the current farm bill but with a renewed focus on risk management programs for agricultural commodities over traditional direct payments for certain crops.
Expanded crop insurance and other risk management tools are also recommended for specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables, as these products are not available in all geographic markets or for all commodities.
Additional recommendations for specialty crops support enhanced farm bill spending to aid crop research, expand international markets and boost consumer demand for products such as fruits and vegetables.
National Dairy Program
In other commodity matters, delegates will consider an amended policy devoted to federal dairy programs designed to keep American-made milk and dairy products flowing in the United States.
"Many of the dairy programs in play today have been around for decades and were developed for a different market," said Ryan Findlay, MFB national legislative counsel. "But today's marketplace is influenced to a much greater degree by global demand and supply, as clearly demonstrated by the record dairy prices of 2008 and the disastrous plunge in 2009. So the burning question now is whether to maintain the status quo or go in a different direction to maintain a long-term agricultural safety net and viable marketplace."
One of the programs being closely evaluated is the current price support system, which some dairy experts and economists believe is inadvertently depressing dairy prices. The system establishes a minimum price for dairy products. When the price for these products falls below the established minimum, the federal government purchases dairy products to maintain the price floor.
"While most countries have simply sold products at a low price to clear inventory, the United States has been stockpiling dairy products. Some countries are beginning to see dairy prices increase as supplies tighten. However, in the United States our supply remains high because of what is in storage, ultimately depressing dairy prices," said Findlay. "That's why some experts believe the U.S. dairy industry would be in a better financial position today if the government would have simply cleared inventory, even at a low price."
MFB's policy recommendation, as proposed, suggests eliminating the price support mechanism in favor of programs that provide a safety net in times of economic hardship in the dairy industry. The resolution also recommends that AFBF monitor reform proposals including the Foundation for the Future plan from the National Milk Producers Federation, and oppose a mandatory quota program.
In addition, the amended policy addresses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's controversial ruling earlier this year to label and regulate milk as an environmental hazard on the same level as oil and fuel, and to require dairy farmers to develop oil spill prevention plans for on-farm bulk milk storage or face punitive damages for non-compliance.
In its ruling, the EPA categorizes milk as oil because "milk typically contains a percentage of animal fat, which is a non-petroleum oil. Thus, containers storing milk (which meet the applicability criteria) are subject."
The EPA has since delayed the mandate, but Michigan farmers remain convinced that the ruling is unnecessary. MFB's dairy policy resolution calls for EPA to exempt milk from federal oil spill prevention, control and countermeasure requirements.
National Health Care
A resolution on national health care, if approved, calls for a repeal of the national Patient Protection and Affordable Care and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Acts signed into law earlier this year. If the legislation is not repealed, the policy suggests cutting funding to enact the laws.
"Health care remains a hot-button issue in the countryside," said Black. "Several county Farm Bureaus submitted policy recommendations on this subject and the state Policy and Development Committee discussed the issue extensively in their meetings. The general consensus remains that all U.S. citizens currently have access to basic health care and cannot be turned away from emergency medical services. So health care should be left to the responsibility of individuals, not the government."
Food Safety
MFB members will be asked to adopt a new policy on statewide food safety issues. Many food safety concerns are already addressed within other MFB policies. This policy proposal focuses on a few specific points.
First, the proposed resolution recognizes that food safety is a shared concern of farmers and consumers and one of the highest priorities of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. It advocates that decisions about food safety regulations strike a "balance between risk and over-regulation that hinders entrepreneurial opportunities."
The policy also emphasizes that food safety decisions related to transportation should be the responsibility of the national government, not the state, to ensure smooth interstate commerce. If passed, it would oppose state legislation to limit the use of wooden pallets in transporting raw or processed agricultural products.
As MDA and the Legislature review changes to the Michigan Food Law, the resolution also recommends that consideration be given to creating a permanent licensing category for churches and civic facilities, which are currently subject to temporary licenses requiring re-application and re-inspection.
Antibiotic Use
Antibiotic use in livestock is being criticized by some members of Congress and activist organizations who are lobbying to ban or limit their use in farm animals. Antibiotic use is addressed in some existing AFBF policies, but MFB will recommend that AFBF establish a separate policy on the subject.
Delegates to the MFB annual meeting will consider a resolution that underscores antibiotics' critical importance as animal health and food safety protection tools and opposes any attempts to limit or ban their use in farm animals.
The policy, as proposed, supports the current process whereby the U.S. Federal Drug Administration approves antibiotic use for livestock only after complete scientific review and testing is conducted. The resolution also supports relying on veterinarians to provide oversight of antibiotic use on farms.
Road Maintenance and Funding
MFB was formed in 1919, largely out of farmer frustration over state government wanting to assess property taxes to finance road improvements. Farmers had a lot of land but many didn't even own cars. The organization successfully lobbied for a gas tax system to more equitably support road maintenance. Ninety-one years later, MFB members will continue debate over how to properly finance Michigan's road maintenance.
New this year, though, they will discuss the impact of an increase in electric cars on state road funding. Farmers want assurances that owners of electric cars will contribute their fair share to state road funding, which continues to be primarily financed by fuel taxes.
A proposed amendment to MFB policy on state highways suggests that electric car owners be required to install an electric meter when charging their vehicles, or some type of other device, which would record usage for the purpose of collecting taxes at a rate consistent with fuel taxes paid by other motorists.
The same resolution also suggests "taxing other forms of energy that are used in transportation at an equitable rate."
The trend toward electric car production is also addressed in a separate resolution on state energy policy. MFB members will consider an amendment which says "government mandates for electric car production and usage should be matched by concurrent approval for the construction and/or upgrades for reliable energy generation facilities to deliver the power needed."
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Editor's Note: For a list of local farmers serving on Michigan Farm Bureau's 2010 Policy Development Committee, view the committee roster at http://www.michfb.com/files/2010/2010_PD_Committee_list.pdf.
