Washington Legislative Seminar

Copper Country Farm Bureau members Gary and Carol Saari, along with 150 other members from Michigan, went to Capitol Hill to deliver the three most important messages arrived at through the grass roots policy making decisions in Farm Bureau. Issues included Animal Care, Ag Guestworker/Immigration Reform, and portions of the Farm Bill. 

The conversation in Representative Bart Stupak's office began with opposition to House Resolution 503 that has been introduced in the 111th Congress.  HR 503 would make it a criminal act to process equine for human consumption or transport horses for export to slaughter facilities. Currently it is estimated that there are 100,000 unwanted, neglected or abused horses in this country since the 3 horse slaughter facilities in the U.S. were closed in 2007.  Farm Bureau members also do not want animal rights groups determining what will comprise "acceptable farm practices".  Some of the proposals include animals having to be able to turn around in their stalls or pens, or chickens being able to all stretch out their wings and not touch another chicken or side or top of a cage.  A very popular type of dairy barns keep animals sanitary by having them in stanchions so the thought that farmers may not be able to choose their farming methods is cause for great concern. Farm Bureau supports a usable guest worker program. Currently H2A is too bureaucratic and not flexible.  Dairy farmers, whose product can not be "saved" to wait for prices to go up, has been adversely affected by the loss of the overseas market due to the economy, and they wish to see adjustments to the Farm Bill to help them avoid bankruptcy. Peter Kleiman of Menominee remarked "You can't turn the milk on and off when you have a barn full of cows, and if you can't move the milk out in two days, it will have to go down the drain."

Senator Carl Levin was awarded a plaque for voting for legislation that supported Farm Bureau's position about agricultural issues during the 110th Congress.