NFU Blog

From NFU Summer Intern Tyler Fischer

Spending the last couple months in a very busy and exciting, Washington, D.C., has been quite an experience for a small town South Dakotan. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. My time with the National Farmers Union government relations staff has been awesome. It seems surreal that two months have gone by. It seems only a short while ago that I was trying to figure out the metro system and which side of the Capitol was the Senate and which was the House.

During our first week we were encouraged to take on a couple of issues that interested us and follow them during our time here. I went to hearings, briefings and press conferences where I was able to shape informed views on a variety of issues. By helping with the Farm Bill Toolbox I gained a much more in-depth understanding of the farm bill and how it affects many different people and industries. I have enjoyed learning the legislative process and the impact that lobbying organizations can have from firsthand experience.

I believe I will find my experience with NFU invaluable as I enter the agricultural industry workforce. I would like to thank all the NFU DC staff for making this such an interesting and enjoyable internship and Laura Monchuk for informing me of this great opportunity.

From NFU Summer Intern Kale Van Bruggen

On Tuesday, the three interns – Kale Van Bruggen, Mike Stranz and Tyler Fischer - were treated to lunch by Tom Buis and Katy Ziegler at North Dakota Farmers Union’s restaurant, Agraria, located on Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown waterfront.  We were very impressed with the upscale service at the restaurant as well as the “from our fields to your table” theme consistent with the entire dining experience. (more…)

From NFU Summer Intern Mike Stranz

If you’ve watched TV in the past two weeks, you’ve probably seen the commercials from T. Boone Pickens and his plan to address  America’s energy crisis. Pickens, the billionaire Texas oilman, stopped by our office on Capitol Hill yesterday and sat down with NFU President Tom Buis and the government relations staff to pitch his plan.

Much to Pickens’s dismay, the U.S. imports $700 billion worth of oil each year – most of which comes from the Middle East and Africa. He believes that petroleum is at or beyond its maximum production level and that someone needs to steer American fuel choices in a new direction. He suggests that natural gas be used much more intensively in the near future as a transportation fuel and to pin long-term hopes onto wind and solar energy to backfill the needs for electricity production. (more…)

From NFU Summer Intern Mike Stranz

On Monday, NFU President Tom Buis appeared on the Fox Business Channel’s Bulls and Bears to discuss commodity prices and their relation to rising grocery prices. Tyler and I got to tag along.

Fox News is in the same building as NFU, so it was only a brisk walk and an elevator ride away.

We were promptly escorted to the green room, where photos of notable politicians (John Kerry, Newt Gingrich, Howard Dean, Condoleeza Rice, Dick Cheney, Mike Huckabee and many more) adorned the walls. News anchors and other guests milled about. Hair care and make up were applied in full force and last minute facts and figures were streaming in. It was quite a scene.

A few minutes before going live, Tom was hustled into a studio with a newsy backdrop and seated before the camera. Tyler and I took up positions in a nearby cubicle with a live feed of the broadcast. The anchors in New York delivered their intro, Tom cleared his throat and we were live.

In all, the segment lasted about only two minutes. Tom fired his shots about how less than 20 cents of every dollar spent on food makes its way back to the farm, energy costs are driving up prices across the board and how farmers are responding effectively to free market pressures. He even noted that popcorn vendors at movie theatres are raising prices and citing higher corn costs – even though anyone who knows anything about agriculture can tell you that popcorn and field corn are two very different commodities. He covered a lot of ground.

If you want to be heard, you must have your sound bites ready to go – especially when you’re live on Fox News. That was today’s lesson.

From NFU DC Summer Intern Mike Stranz

Bee-ing a National Farmers Union intern calls for plenty of buzzing around Capitol Hill - literally.

June 22 – 28 is National Pollinator Week. Bee keepers, honey producers and representatives from companies that utilize honey swarmed on Washington to raise awareness about their unique role in agriculture. Hearings were held regarding the challenges pollinators face and those who rely upon them.

On Wednesday, the Pollinator Partnership hosted a reception and press event to promote pollinator awareness, especially in light of the onset of Colony Collapse Disorder. There were posters, speakers, free honey ice cream and chapstick, informational packets… and a guy running around in a bee suit. You guessed it… that was me.

I must admit that I rather enjoyed playing the role of a giant bug. The bee was the guest of honor. There were hundreds of photos, smiles, handshakes, high-fives and fist bumps. I couldn’t help but feel cool, even if the twenty-pound costume was oppressively hot.

Honestly, I think everyone should spend a little time each day dressed in a mascot outfit. It’s good for the soul.

There was a little disappointment, however, when I came back into the room after changing out of the bee costume. The automatic smiles, the spontaneous friendly gestures and the photo ops were all gone.

Kale, Tyler and I learned more about the importance of pollinators in agriculture – and that you can never bee sure what the next assignment will bring when interning for the National Farmers Union.
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From NFU DC Summer Intern Tyler Fischer

Last Wednesday we had the opportunity to attend a benefit dinner for the Food Research and Action Center. As interns, Kale and I didn’t know many people at the event but kept perfectly satisfied indulging in mushroom tarts, deep fried artichoke hearts, and my personal favorite, roast beef and crackers. Kale was even brave enough to sample the caviar on a cucumber chip, but judging his reaction I decided to pass.

We then heard a great speech by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She was followed by three panelists that helped start the fight against world hunger; Daniel Schorr, Roger Wilkins and George McGovern.

I was extremely excited to hear from Mr. McGovern. Being from South Dakota myself, I was familiar with his name and some of his accomplishments including his 1972 presidential run against Richard Nixon.

Following the dinner events, Mr. McGovern was doing a book signing for both he and his wife’s books. I went and introduced myself telling him I was from South Dakota as well. He was happy to see a young face from the state and asked me to stay around to help collect money for his books while he signed them, I agreed. Kale and I spent the next hour or so collecting money and taking pictures of him with buyers. At the end, we gathered his leftover books and carried them to his limo.

I believe I can speak for Kale as well when I say it was a fun-filled, interesting night that really added to our D.C. experience. I don’t foresee soon forgetting the night we got to hang with the Honorable George McGovern.

From NFU DC Summer Intern Kale Van Bruggen

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Senate Gallery and personally watch the Senate consider the farm bill (again) and re-pass it 77-15.  For anyone who has not been to the Senate Gallery, I highly encourage you to go.  I believe it should be on every citizen’s “bucket list.”  Watching the governmental process in that room, I can’t help but think of all the great debates and legislation that has been heard there.  As I was listening to farm bill debate, I found myself thinking back to what the debate was years ago, perhaps in the time of my Grandparents, farming back home in Litchville.

One of the best parts about being a member of this organization is watching how our grassroots efforts operate.  The experience begins on our family farm and hardships faced by my parents. It continues with watching them, along with other members, bring those issues to the county and state conventions, participating in the policy debate with members on both state and the national level, and now working with that policy in the D.C. office.  Today I saw that process go one step further and heard U.S. Senators discussing those same issues that Tyler and I, as interns, have been researching this week.  Experiencing each of those steps has been a powerful motivator for me and I am thankful that I have been granted this opportunity.

It has been an exciting time to be in Washington, D.C. and seeing first hand the farm bill process continue over the past few months; I have learned so much about agricultural policy and the way that it impacts U.S. producers. At school, my major is international relations, so at NFU, I was able to see how the international trade issues that I studied in the classroom related to agriculture and my roots on the farm at home. At NFU, I had a chance to attend Congressional committee hearings, farm bill conference meetings and also help with a press conference. One of the highlights of this semester was going to the NFU convention in Las Vegas in March. I truly enjoyed my experience here and am glad that I had the opportunity to intern at NFU.

Ashley Peppler is from Mead, Colorado and attends American University in Washington, D.C.

This afternoon, NFU President Tom Buis attended “The Rural Development Title of the Farm Bill: Why it is Vital to Rural America,” a briefing sponsored by the National Grange Foundation. Presenters at the event addressed specific rural development issues including access to high speed internet, renewable energy development and library facilities in rural areas.

Title VI of the farm bill addresses rural development, and this briefing aimed to highlight the importance of funding programs in rural America. Access to high speed internet is vital for rural economic development; studies have shown that state-of-the-art communications, coupled with transportation, education and library services, is absolutely essential in stimulating economic development in rural America.

Buis also highlighted the importance of providing incentives and opportunities for growth in the renewable energy sector in rural America. Locally-owned projects generate 2.6 times more jobs and 3.1 times more rural economic benefit than those with outside ownership.

“Rural areas will see much more economic activity from locally-owned projects than they will from corporate-owned projects,” Buis said. “Local investors will re-invest in the community where the project is based. Big companies will filter out their profits to other areas.”

On January 15, the FDA announced the findings of the department’s final risk assessment for the consumption of cloned animal products. The FDA’s announcement that food from cloned animals is safe to eat will likely pave the way for these products to soon be available to consumers.

While many people feel cloning animals has moral, ethical or social implications, the safety of consuming this food should certainly be studied further. The long-term effects of eating products from cloned animals are still unknown. Also, in light of recent food safety scares, many consumers have become disenchanted with the FDA’s procedures and decisions.

NFU’s e-newsletter recently asked about human consumption of products from cloned animals, as well as whether or not those products should be labeled. One consumer said, “Knowing the FDA’s history, I don’t trust these products have been adequately tested for consumer safety.”

So is this country ready for more food that could be risky or dangerous to our health? If cloned products do enter the market, they should be labeled as such to allow consumers to make an informed decision about what they eat and where it comes from. Along with implementing mandatory COOL, USDA should extend mandatory labeling procedures to food that comes from cloned animals or their offspring.

Another respondent to our poll said, “Why consume cloned product when natural is available?”

Assuming that products from cloned animals and their offspring are safe to eat, is it even necessary to clone animals for human consumption? There are plenty of farms in this country who are willing and able to provide natural animals and animal products to our consumers. The only people that stand to benefit from a closed-door cloned animal product operation are large corporations.