Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com
Published - Thursday, March 15, 2007
Ag leaders lobby in Washington
Members of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership program went to the nation’s capital last month to speak with legislators about current issues and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2007 Farm Bill proposal.
The MARL program lasts 18 months and works to develop Minnesota agricultural leaders’ skills and knowledge of the various aspects of the agriculture industry in order to spread awareness of agricultural issues. It began in November 2000.
St. Charles farmer Mena Kaehler is part of the program’s fourth class.
“The whole point is to try to understand all the aspects of agriculture,” she said. “It’s important for all of us to understand it because we’re all agriculture advocates.”
Each class participates in a two-week international study tour and a one-week visit to Washington, D.C.
“It’s an opportunity for agriculture people to get into the legislature and to talk with the people who make the laws so that they understand the issues,” Kaehler said.
Members met with national farm policymakers, representatives of the World Bank, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
They discussed the 2007 Farm Bill proposal, which includes a $250 million increase in direct payments for beginning farmers and ranchers, a $7.8 billion increase in conservation funding and $1.6 billion in new funding for renewable energy research.
Tim Alcorn, MARL’s executive director, said the program is designed to make participants more comfortable talking to lawmakers so they will be more likely to participate in the future.
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