Congressional Leader or Lump on a Log

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
Dwight D. Eisenhower                                                     (http://bit.ly/On7Hdt)


lead·er·ship
--ability to lead: As early as sixth grade she displayed remarkableleadership potential. Synonyms: authoritativeness, influence,command, effectiveness; sway, clout.       (http://bit.ly/On7UNE)




One of the most frustrating things in life is when you have someone who is supposed to be a leader and it turns out they have absolutely no desire to do it.  They will give lip service to it and "act" like a leader but when it actually comes to making the tough decisions they become a follower or an excuse maker.  This doesn't matter if it is an Elder/Pastor in a church, a coach on a team, a husband or a member of Congress. Those that are truly leaders will lead and those that aren't only get in the way.

In agriculture right now there is a very important bill that is stalled out in the House of Representatives.  Many  of you know I am talking about the Farm Bill.  It is a bill that is not only important to farmers but also to the school lunch program and SNAP (food stamps).  Why, pray tell, is this stalled out?  It is because of the lack of leadership from the Speaker of the House and certain individual Congressmen. They have wasted 80 hours of debate time to vote on the Repeal Obamacare 33 different times knowing full well that the Senate will not take it up.  I have no problem with a symbolic vote but 33 of them borders on insanity.

In Nebraska, especially the 3rd Congressional District, we are blessed with the "Golden Triangle" of corn, ethanol and cattle. If we are not the single largest grower, producer and raiser of each of these then we are a close second.  Anything that affects these three things is a big deal.  Ag is the main driver in this district from actual crop and livestock production to irrigation and equipment manufacturers in addition to all the other industries that are ag related. When something as important as the Farm Bill comes up to the House and Senate, we expect are delegation to lead in the battle. We thank our Senators for doing this.

However, our Congressman Rep. Adrian Smith, is not leading on this.  Oh, he is saying the talking points like:
  -"ag committee only trimmed Nutrition Title by a few percentage points when the spending for it as quadrupled in the last number of years."
  -"Senate recessed without taking up a disaster bill that the House passed" (There is disaster relief in the Senate farm bill)
  -"we are about a year ahead of schedule when compared to the last farm bill" (A failure to lead then is not an excuse to not lead now)
  -"the bill would come to the floor if the Speaker had the votes" (Be a leader and get those votes)

I know he isn't on the Ag Committee and is on the Ways and Means committee but he is constantly making a big deal about the caucuses he chairs like the Congressional Rural Caucus and the Modern Agriculture Caucus but being the chair is not the same as leading the fight in the battle for the Farm Bill.  It is time for Rep. Smith to step up and truly fight for his 3rd District which we elected him to do.  It is time to work for the floor and find the votes to pass the bill so it can get to Conference Committee.  It is time to show the people back here why we elected him and that he does think all of ag is important in his district and he isn't just giving lip service to stay in power.  And, by the way, when invited to speak in front of a bunch of corn farmers, don't find any excuse to not come. (That doesn't show leadership but a lack of testicular fortitude to face your critics)

If our Congressmen are going to refuse to truly lead on these issues that we know are important for agriculture then it is time to flood their offices with phone calls and emails.  It is time for us to demand answers when we have the opportunity to talk to  them one on one. It is time for the editorials asking these key questions of "if not now, then when and if not you, then who?"

Are You Calling for a #FarmBillNow

For any naysayers out there on the importance of the 2012 farm bill, they simply need to check out the vote tally in the Senate today.  In an impressive 90-8 vote, the farm bill now moves into debate on the floor. In the coming days, amendments will be offered and NCGA staff will be keeping you and me up to date as important votes come to the floor.  But until that time, there is something you and I can do to help out. 

A few weeks ago in a blog post, NCGA’s DC Communications Manager mentioned the importance of Twitter in contacting our members of Congress.  Well, here is your chance to join me in taking some action.  NCGA has teamed up with other agriculture organizations to get the grassroots activated in tweeting U.S. Senators using the hashtag #FarmBillNow  to let them know why the legislation is important to not only my farm but yours as well.   We are ginning up our farmers, aggies and advocates and asking them to keep contacting their Senators as debate begins on the floor.  This is a vitally important piece of legislation that impacts 16 million jobs.  Yep, 16 million. (Have you seen the unemployment rate lately???) 


The campaign went live this morning and already we are seeing it is being picked up by the Senate Ag Committee, Senate offices and press.  It is an impressive start to the campaign but we can get even bigger.  Let’s get so many tweets using #FarmBillNow that we get calls from Senate offices saying “Uncle! I give in!  Please stop Tweeting me!”



Join me in making sure we keep this vitally important legislation on track in helping farmers everywhere.

On Tuesday, Hunnicutt Farms had the opportunity to host two international guests. Hosting guests is something that has been done on the farm over the years for as long as I can remember. Getting to share what we do is always a great experience.

About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by Don Vogel, who volunteers for the Grand Island Area Council for International Visitors, about having a farm visit from a French Environmental Lawyer. I agreed not knowing exactly what I was getting into, especially because the words "environmental" and "lawyer" were involved.

Spending time explaining what our equipment and the the technology in them do, is always fun. It doesn't matter if it is an international visitor or a reporter or someone from town, it is always great to see their reactions. This time was no different. Explaining how the tractor can drive, and turn around on the ends, by itself, always elicits a response. And, we get to show how we are saving seed, fertilizer, and chemical with the different technologies within the equipment and computers, as well.

When we finally sat down and talked about issues, it was very intriguing. Our main guest was Ms. Capucine Agathe Chloe CHAMOUX, who is the lawyer for Federation Nationale Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA, National Federation of Agricultural Workers’ Unions). We found out that this group is very similar to Farm Bureau, so we began to see we had a "friendly" on the farm. We had a great discussion revolving around all the issues of the day. Everything from GMOs to locally grown food to climate change/carbon to bees to water rights. It was extremely interesting to learn a little about how their carbon trading program works and the benefits farmers receive. We did explain some of the concerns we have about any Climate Change legislation that passes. There is also a push in France for more locally grown foods like we are seeing here. I think our explanation of our challenges of producing locally grown in Nebraska year round, helped her understand why a true "locally grown" program won't work here right now.

At the end of the day what I remembered was that farmers are farmers. It doesn't matter if they are in Nebraska or California or France. We want to work hard, produce food/fuel/fiber, and take care of the ground that we live on. I do think we shocked her "language expert", when we said we take care of our soil because it is the right thing to do, not because we have regulations or are getting paid for it. We are not here to poison the ground or water or air. We are here to leave the ground in better shape when we pass it on to the next generation. I believe they understood that by the end.

We had the opportunity to show off the farm, discuss the issues of the day and hopefully made a contact that will last many years into the future.

Planting and Biotechnology 2010

As we entered into the planting season this year, we had the opportunity to put some of the newest, and hopefully greatest, seed technology into the ground. This is the technology that helps us in making sure we are taking care of the environment in a healthy and sustainable manner. Anything we can do to help reduce our usage of chemicals and continue to increase yields are something we will continue to look at.

We started out this year by actually planting some of the newest in seed technology from Monsanto and DowAgro, known as SmartStax. This is an 8-way stack with a great explanation here. This allows us to have protection against may pests that cause damage to the plants. Damage that can cause us economic harm. Damage that can cause the plant, and subsequently the grain, harm as well. Ultimately, we have a healthier plant that will ultimately lead to healthier feed for our livestock and a better product to produce ethanol and bio-plastics as well.

We have had the opportunity this year to look at other new and exciting products that will be coming down the line in the coming years. One plot has what is called "refuge in a bag". This will allow us in the future to make sure we are easily following the refuge guidelines needed to keep these technologies viable for years to come.

As we continue to look at the newest in seed technology it is exciting to see where it will take us. Up to this point, it has mainly been input traits we have looked at. The kind of traits that protect against insects and allow us to utilize different chemicals. The next thing to see will be the output traits. Traits that will ultimately help the end user and consumer.

These are exciting times in the merging of technology and agriculture. Being able to grow a safe and healthy product is something that I am proud to do.