With harvest season breathing down his neck, Jeff Schluckbier still boarded a plane bound for Washington, D.C.
The Tuscola County Farm Bureau President had work to do on his farm but also knew there was work to be done on Capitol Hill when he answered Michigan Farm Bureau’s call to advocate for passing a complete farm bill.
It was his fourth trip to D.C. with MFB, but unlike the other’s he’s been on, this one was organized rapidly to urgently address a critical issue.
“We went out with a very specific agenda,” Schluckbier told Michigan Farm News, noting the especially fast-paced nature of the meetings with lawmakers.
Along with MFB District Directors Jennifer Lewis, Mike Fusilier and Larry Walton, and MFB National Legislative Counsel Jacob Smith, Schluckbier helped push for the passage of a “Farm Bill 2.0” in meetings with nearly the entire Michigan delegation. He shared his family’s perspective gained from farming more than 7,000 acres of cropland, raising sugar beets, wheat, corn, and dry beans.
“A lot of times I would bring up that we're a third-generation farm with the fourth generation soon to be buying us out. We've got a successor plan that's in the works,” Schluckbier said.
“I talked about input costs and energy costs and a lot of the things that are affecting our next generation.”
MFB and more than 260 other key ag groups recently sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging the passage of a complete farm bill. The organizations backing the letter said provisions to help the long-term stability of U.S. ag that were included in the budget reconciliation bill are not a substitute for a full farm bill.
Schluckbier noted the value of sharing that sentiment face-to-face with members of Congress and their staff.
“You get the feeling that they are really listening to you, and how much it means that you're actually sitting in the office with them, versus maybe just sending them an email,” he added.
A graduate of MFB’s Academy for Political Leadership, Schluckbier said his experience with the academy helped further hone his skills when it comes to talking about the needs of farmers in his county, and beyond.
“You make connections out there,” he said in reference to Washington, D.C.
“Every one of those Representatives and every one of their staff gave us the time of day, they took notes, they gave us their cards. And I don't doubt for a minute that if we ever had a situation here in our area — and being that I'm a County Farm Bureau President — if I had a local member that had an issue, I have a handful of cards I'd go through, and I could look up any one of those representatives or their staff, I'd reach out to them, and they would be of great assistance.”