If you’ve been in Rocky Mountain Farmers for a while, you have probably heard some mention of the Fellows program. However, you may be thinking, just what is it? As a Fellow of 2005, I’d like to answer that question.

There are times in your life when you are given the opportunity to take classes, lessons, or just learn a little more about being a leader. Not the leader of a nation or a state but just a leader in your community or organization. That is what the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Fellows program offers. You are given the opportunity to brush up on your communication skills, learn how to conduct successful meetings, and to be confident when you are in a leadership position.

I know, because the Fellows program gave me the confidence to handle the leadership positions that I have held since then. They were community and state positions I felt prepared to fill. After I finished the program, I was elected President of the Parent Teacher Organization at my children’s school. Not knowing a lot of the people involved, I was very nervous at the first meeting where I presided, but with the training that I had received, the meeting was successful and ran very smoothly.

After this experience, I ran successfully for the board of directors of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, where I have now served as the District II representative for five years. A few years ago, I was asked to serve on the Colorado State Agriculture Commission Board, and recently I have been nominated for a second term on that board. I have also been chosen for the Colorado Food Policy Council.

When I joined the Fellows program, I wanted to make a difference, and the skills that I learned have let me use my passion for serving my community effectively.

So if you are asked to be a part of the Fellows program, grab the opportunity. If you know someone who could take the tools of leadership and build something good, recommend them to the state office. You will be helping your organization and the values we share.

In cooperation with R-CALF USA and Colorado Independent Cattle Growers, RMFU is sponsoring workshops in Colorado and Wyoming to help farmers and ranchers prepare for the USDA/DoJ hearing in Fort Collins on August 27, which will focus on livestock markets.

On August 27,for the first time since the creation of the Department of Agriculture by President Lincoln, the USDA and the Department of Justice will hold a joint meeting. Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are scheduled to attend.

R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard will make a whirlwind tour of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming during the fi rst week of August. His presentation, Under Siege, documents the concentration of cattle markets and the impact on both consumer prices and producer revenues. The workshop (see schedule, right) will prepare attendees with details on how corporate control of the market has driven consumer costs up while crushing the “wholesale” value of the independent ranchers’ livestock to little more than the cost of production.

We need to preserve the future of rural America and the independent livestock producer who cares about land, cattle and consumers. Bullard’s presentation will explain the threat to rural economies and to the American family farmer and rancher, leaders in agriculture for the world.

Livestock Meetings Schedule

Monday, Aug 2 – Delta, Colo.
Bill Heddles Recreation Center
530 Gunnison River Drive, Delta, Colorado
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday, Aug 3 – Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Steamboat Springs Community Center
1605 Lincoln Avenue, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday, Aug 4 – Lander, Wyo.
Oxbow Restaurant
170 Main St, Lander, Wyoming
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Thursday, Aug 5 – Laramie, Wyo.
Ramada Center Hotel
I-80 & Hwy 287, Laramie, Wyoming
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Friday, Aug 6 – Julesburg, Colo.
Sedgwick County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall
Julesburg, Colorado
7:00 PM – 9 PM

Thursday, Aug 12 – Burlington, Colo.
Burlington Livestock Exchange
Burlington, Colo.
11:00 AM – 1 PM
Thursday, Aug 12 – La Junta, Colo.
La Junta Senior Center
La Junta, Colo.
7:00 PM – 9 PM

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) members will be in Washington, D.C., September 8-10 to meet with federal legislators and urge them to support policies that sustain rural economies and ensure our nation’s security. The delegation includes current RMFU Fellows – a select team of individuals who enrolled in a year-long leadership class that will help them contribute to their communities. The group will be accompanied by RMFU President Kent Peppler, who is a Mead, Colo., farmer, and RMFU Education Director Jennifer Luitjens Bahr. “This is a great opportunity for these young community leaders to exercise their new skills,” Bahr said. “We are especially looking forward to meeting with the Department of Energy to stress the importance of rural communities to our national energy security.”

Development of renewable energy, fair international trade agreements, competitive markets, implementation of the 2008 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, and sensible food policies will be on the agenda as farm and ranch families from the region and other state Farmers Unions visit senators, congressional representatives, and administration officials from the USDA, the DOE, and other agencies.

High on the priorities of the delegation is raising awareness of the need to extend the renewable energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), which expires in December. “The PTC helps level the energy playing field by matching the sorts of tax credits routinely offered to oil and coal producers,” RMFU President Kent Peppler said. “If Congress allows it to expire, it will do tremendous damage to the new energy economy in the Rockies and even to our nation’s energy independence.” Peppler said.

The delegation will also take the opportunity to counter myths propagated by corporate agri-business, such as the singling out of ethanol as a scapegoat for high food costs or the notion that the family farmer and rancher are getting rich on higher supermarket prices.

“Rural America is struggling, as all Americans are, to stay ahead of a failing economy. And we hold the key to food and fuel security in our country,” Peppler said. “Our food supply and the new energy economy depend on wise use of rural lands. Our members represent lifetimes of experience and innovation in stewardship, conservation, and production. We hope we can keep Washington listening to our members’ voices.”