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By AMY DOMINELLO
Media General News Service
WASHINGTON – Mitch Lazenby’s farm in Auburn, Ala., is a long way – about 750 miles -- from the nation’s capital.
But Lazenby made the trip to bring a little bit of his world to Capitol Hill Wednesday.
Lazenby is among 230 members of the Alabama Farmers Federation in Washington this week to get updates on federal agriculture policy and lobby their congressmen and federal officials on issues that matter to them.
“I think they sometimes need to put a face with the name,” Lazenby said.
The Alabama farmers are the vanguard of an army of farmers who will be lobbying Congress and other federal officials. Over the next two months, 3,000 farmers from across the country will make annual trips to Washington, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Top priority for farmers is passage of the Farm Bill, which rewrites the nation’s agricultural policy every five years. Congress was unable to pass a Farm Bill last year but passed an extension of the current farm policy until March 15.
Congress and the White House are trying to negotiate a dollar amount – about $280 billion -- before Congress takes up the bill.
Bob Stallman, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told the farmers Wednesday that another extension likely will be needed before details are hammered out.
Stallman urged the Alabama farmers to lobby their congressional representatives to pass a Farm Bill that is good for farmers.
“It’s a battle, and we need your help and support while you’re here,” he said.
Included in the Farm Bill is the renewal of what amounts to an insurance policy for farmers. The federal government guarantees farmers payments if prices on the crops they are producing fall below a certain level.
“We need a safety net in case prices start dropping,” said George Jeffcoat, a farmer from Gordon.
This lets farmers – and their bankers – know the minimum returns farmers can expect on particular crops. Farmers said as they head into planting season, the lack of a Farm Bill leaves them without such guidance.
“It’s kind of putting a lot of folks in limbo,” Art Sessions, a farmer from Grand Bay in Mobile County.
Farmers also plan to talk about the impacts of immigration reform. Stallman told the Alabama farmers he knows farmers are shutting down production because they can’t find workers.
“This situation is having some real impact down at the producer level,” he said. “I don’t know how long it will take before [the federal government] pays attention.”
Repealing the inheritance tax is another big issue for farmers. Richard Edgar of Deatsville told Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., the tax makes it difficult to pass land to future generations of farmers.
“This is a major impediment to the next generation,” Edgar told Davis during a question period with farmers.
Jerry Newby, president of the Alabama Farmers Federation, said the annual trip is effective in promoting farmers’ concerns.
“There’s no better communicator, no better lobbyist, than the folks from home,” he said.
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com
Media General News Service
WASHINGTON – Mitch Lazenby’s farm in Auburn, Ala., is a long way – about 750 miles -- from the nation’s capital.
But Lazenby made the trip to bring a little bit of his world to Capitol Hill Wednesday.
Lazenby is among 230 members of the Alabama Farmers Federation in Washington this week to get updates on federal agriculture policy and lobby their congressmen and federal officials on issues that matter to them.
“I think they sometimes need to put a face with the name,” Lazenby said.
The Alabama farmers are the vanguard of an army of farmers who will be lobbying Congress and other federal officials. Over the next two months, 3,000 farmers from across the country will make annual trips to Washington, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Top priority for farmers is passage of the Farm Bill, which rewrites the nation’s agricultural policy every five years. Congress was unable to pass a Farm Bill last year but passed an extension of the current farm policy until March 15.
Congress and the White House are trying to negotiate a dollar amount – about $280 billion -- before Congress takes up the bill.
Bob Stallman, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told the farmers Wednesday that another extension likely will be needed before details are hammered out.
Stallman urged the Alabama farmers to lobby their congressional representatives to pass a Farm Bill that is good for farmers.
“It’s a battle, and we need your help and support while you’re here,” he said.
Included in the Farm Bill is the renewal of what amounts to an insurance policy for farmers. The federal government guarantees farmers payments if prices on the crops they are producing fall below a certain level.
“We need a safety net in case prices start dropping,” said George Jeffcoat, a farmer from Gordon.
This lets farmers – and their bankers – know the minimum returns farmers can expect on particular crops. Farmers said as they head into planting season, the lack of a Farm Bill leaves them without such guidance.
“It’s kind of putting a lot of folks in limbo,” Art Sessions, a farmer from Grand Bay in Mobile County.
Farmers also plan to talk about the impacts of immigration reform. Stallman told the Alabama farmers he knows farmers are shutting down production because they can’t find workers.
“This situation is having some real impact down at the producer level,” he said. “I don’t know how long it will take before [the federal government] pays attention.”
Repealing the inheritance tax is another big issue for farmers. Richard Edgar of Deatsville told Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., the tax makes it difficult to pass land to future generations of farmers.
“This is a major impediment to the next generation,” Edgar told Davis during a question period with farmers.
Jerry Newby, president of the Alabama Farmers Federation, said the annual trip is effective in promoting farmers’ concerns.
“There’s no better communicator, no better lobbyist, than the folks from home,” he said.
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com