An opinion piece appeared last week in more than one Denver newspaper that attacked Farmers Union for “selling out” agriculture by supporting the amended Clean Energy bill. The piece presents the author’s views and statistics as facts. They are just opinions, not facts, and there are some other facts that should be mentioned as we consider the bill and what it means for agriculture.

Condemning the action by Congress ignores a key fact. The EPA is poised, by order of the Supreme Court, to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). If a majority in Congress had let the bill disappear into “the shredder,” then farmers could thank its opponents for inviting the EPA to regulate agricultural emissions with no input from agriculture. Thanks to the compromise amendment, we have an opportunity to manage any increased costs to farmers and ranchers. As amended, the bill allows agriculture to have a say in addressing a problem that affects us all.

Farmers Union opposed the bill that came out of Rep. Waxman’s committee because, like so much federal legislation, it failed to take into account the interests and needs of the national community of farmers and ranchers. Through the efforts of Rep. Collin Peterson, Farmers Union, and the National Association of Wheat Growers, the bill was amended to remedy that problem, and we support it because it is the right thing to do. Farmers Union hasn’t sold anyone out, not to the government, not to the boardrooms of corporate agriculture, not to the power companies or partisan political agendas.

A partisan attack group, the Heritage Foundation, tried to alarm consumers and producers with wild estimates of the effect on energy costs. Compelling evidence from a non-partisan entity, the Congressional Budget Office, projects that the costs of electricity, gas and oil will work out to be about $175 per family per year.

What about the cost of sticking our heads in the sand and waiting for problems to go away? That approach doesn’t usually work. Farmers and ranchers, who live agriculture and resource stewardship, understand that there is more to “costs” than dollars on an accounting ledger. Inaction will have serious consequences for the farm, the nation, and the world. If we don’t act, circumstances and consumers will force us to. The Clean Energy bill lets agriculture help solve those problems, rather than bear the brunt for others.

Agriculture has a role to play in addressing those problems. Farmers Union saw to it that this role was reflected in the new bill. Polluting industries will be coming to American farmers for carbon credits to offset their impact on our air and water, using that cap and trade model that got acid rain under control a generation ago. Cap and trade is not nebulous bogeyman; it’s a policy that was endorsed by both Presidential contenders in the 2008 race. Farmers Union has been a leader in creating a carbon credit program that has generated more than $8 million in revenue for farmers and ranchers without government support. With the new cap and trade rules, carbon may well become a major cash crop.

The Clean Energy bill mandates a shift to renewable energy that offers financial benefits to farmers and ranchers. Wind farms will generate electricity for citizens and industry while generating revenue for landowners harvesting the wind. All the forms of renewable energy have the potential to reduce agriculture’s dependence on foreign oil and create new crops for our farmers and ranchers.

Farmers Union recognizes the enormous costs of a petroleum-based agriculture. The average food is shipped 1,500 miles to the consumer, and why is the greatest agriculture nation in the world importing our own food. The emphasis on energy costs will create new markets for local foods produced by small farmers and ranchers. Farmers Union built its history on support for local produce, sustainable farming, and cooperative economies that marry producers to consumer markets.

Addressing America’s energy needs has been a struggle, and we applaud the members of the Colorado delegation in the House who voted for the Clean Energy bill. We are proud of them, and proud of our role in shaping the bill to include agriculture. By being at the bargaining table rather than sulking in the hall, we helped shape a policy that will impact all our lives. Farmers Union improved the energy bill and made our nation’s farmers an active part of our energy future. Our engagement in the process that amended the bill reflects our commitment to protecting the interests of the small minority of our population who grow America’s food. The farmer must make a living wage, or America will find itself dependent on foreign food just as it is on foreign oil. The Clean Energy bill presents us with a chance to keep our food secure.

Kent Peppler, President
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Kent Peppler, a Mead, Colo., farmer, issued a statement today on the temporary restraining order that prevents the USDA from approving Conservation Reserve Program contract amendments under the Critical Feed Use plan. The order, issued by a Washington State Federal District Court judge at the request of the National Wildlife Federation, impacts all states.

President Peppler’s statement:

A rancher is not asking for Critical Feed Use waivers so he can exploit hay and grain prices; he’s got cattle to feed. This restraining order is very likely to bankrupt some ranchers. Family agriculture is not the enemy of environmentalists or conservation. The enemy of conservation is continuing drought conditions. Drought reduces a rancher’s access to native pastures for grazing and to alternative feed.

Farmers and ranchers are land stewards concerned with the long term benefit of their livestock and their land, including wildlife habitat. The CRP program is crafted to allow stewardship of the land without abusing the intent of the program. The Critical Feed Use waiver has been a part of CRP since 1985. If a rancher’s CRP land is approved for grazing through a waiver, the rancher invests in making water available and putting up fencing to protect lands not affected by the waiver. Grazing and haying allowed via the Critical Feed Use plan provides other benefits to the environment by reducing the need for chemicals to control disease, weeds, and destructive pests.

The situation for beef production is dire. Drought conditions are requiring ranchers to liquidate herds at rates and levels that jeopardize their future as independent ranchers. Cutting them off from feed on their own lands is short-sighted. They are facing exactly the problem that Critical Feed Use waivers are meant to deal with. Expecting the government to respond to an emergency by doing an environmental impact study is not sensible.

Eastern Colorado is facing economic disaster caused by drought, energy costs, feed costs and reduced yields. We are grateful that some of the worst-hit counties are exempt from this restraining order under disaster relief edicts sought by Governor Ritter and approved by USDA. But there are ranchers in other areas being impacted by the drought that need assistance now. Critical Feed Use waivers offer that assistance.

It’s a shame when family farmers and ranchers get caught in the crossfire between conservationists and agri-business. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is concerned that the wildlife federations are attacking Critical Feed Use waivers to oppose efforts by some large agri-business corporations to seek changes in CRP rules for exploitive reasons. These businesses want the USDA to change the rules so producers can get out of CRP contracts without penalty. This would allow them to produce more commodities, resulting in lower market prices for producers and increased profit margins for agri-business. We ask the conservationists to oppose that rule change itself, without threatening the livelihoods of family ranchers and farmers who are operating their CRP lands within the existing rules and regulations.

My first experience with agricultural market concentration was in the 1980s. Like many other small family farmers, we fed cattle. My dad began his farming career in the late 1930s by partnering with my grandfather and their landlord on a cattle feeding venture. I believe he told me they paid 8 cents a pound for their first loads of cattle.

This arrangement continued until 1944. Then my dad and my grandfather purchased a farm, and they fed cattle on their own until my grandfather retired from feeding in the late 1950s. Dad fed on his own until the late 1970s, when he brought me into the business. Of course Dad had ups and downs, but overall the cattle business was our bread and butter and it worked.

Dad had an excellent reputation for finishing high quality cattle and was blessed with top-notch commission people who bought and sold his cattle. Packers were numerous, and he sold cattle to independent packers such as Litvack Packing, Pepper Packing, Flavorland Packing (to name just a few). Life was good and there was a bright future in the cattle feeding industry for young people such as myself – and then came the 1980s.

The last load of fat cattle we sold was in 1986. We sold the cattle to IBP because they were the last packer buying big steers. Believe me, IBP couldn’t have cared less about buying our cattle. What happened to us happened to thousands of small feeders all over the U.S. and the attrition continues today. We were feeding up to 500 cattle a year. A friend who fed a couple thousand a year told us we needed to feed bigger and market more often. A few years later, he was out of the business.
A few years after that, our biggest cattle-feeding neighbor, feeding 20,000 a year, quit, for the same reason the rest of us did. He was one of the last of the true cattle feeders in Colorado. It was amazing to me; in ten short years, the cattle feeding industry that had kept our local economy strong and vibrant was gone! But it wasn’t a total surprise. I still remember hearing Ken Monfort speaking on how to make it in the cattle business in 1983, and he said if you aren’t running 50,000 head in 2000, you will be gone.

The reason for this decimation of private, farmer-owned cattle feeding is easy to track. This attrition began in the 1980s. The government decided it was not in the best interests of the American people to enforce the rules set forth by the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the administration began to ignore the anti-trust laws that kept our playing field reasonably level. Under the new unregulated economy big corporations were thriving, and they in turn vertically integrated. It effectively ran everyone else out of the business. And worst of all, we see the industry continue to consolidate today.

Market concentration is the issue that led me to be active in Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Farmers Union was the only ag organization that had the foresight to see what a danger market concentration was to our way of life. We have led the fight against concentration for a hundred years, all the way back to Teddy Roosevelt. Most farm organizations have viewed concentration as just part of a free, fair and open market system. You know, the old adage of only the best and the most efficient should survive.
The simple truth is, in a true free competitive market system, the guy with the most money wins. If you and I are competing against each other in a business, no matter how dedicated I am, or how hard I work, or how smart I think I am, if you have enough money to wage a price war on me, you are going to win. After I am gone, you can set your price where you want and get back your losses. You can make massive profits with no competition… until someone comes along with more money than you and decides to run you out of business. And who pays for this “free market”? Consumers, eventually.

The American people have been sold a bill of goods on what a fair market really is. As citizens of this country we need to be vigilant and constantly monitor what’s happening in our market places. The American people have to take the leadership role and exercise their vote. That’s the way to take our country back from the huge multi-national corporations that have so much power today. We need to tell big business that it’s not a “free market” if they can buy it. We need a level playing field in the marketplace.

If we continue to ignore market concentration and consolidation, our nation will become a country of corporate slaves. Main street businesses will cease to exist, and the entrepreneurial spirit that made America great will be lost. We will end up living Tennessee Ernie Ford’s old song: “Saint Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go, I owe my soul to the company store!”

That’s why Rocky Mountain Farmers Union will be at the table when the USDA and the Department of Justice are ready to talk about market concentration. We will always be there for the independent producer.

We’re ready to fight that fight again, because it’s a good fight and we are going to win it.

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has always tried to formulate successful strategies that will enhance our ability to promote our grassroots policy not only in Washington, D.C., but also in our membership states of New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado.

I am very proud to say that our organization has had a great deal of success in the last couple of years thanks to the hard work of our staff, members, and board of directors. In a nutshell, here is how we manage your political agenda at RMFU.

First of all, we want to be an issues-oriented lobby, not a sounding board for a political party. Our policy is not about Republicans or Democrats, it’s about rural America.
Our organization strives to have good working relationships with all politicians, cabinet members, and other organizations. It makes me feel like we are truly representing the rural Rocky Mountain area when on some issues we are working with mostly conservatives and on other issues we are working with the progressives.

Second, RMFU wants to be known for our honesty and our integrity. This is huge to me. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has a very clear policy and we strive to articulate this policy in as transparent medium as possible. We are upfront with our positions and communicate well with all stakeholders. Our worst nightmare is to have a stakeholder on a particular issue be surprised or feel misled by what they have read or heard, compared to what we have told them face-to-face.

In essence, stakeholders may disagree with us but they should know where we stand, and they need to feel that when we tell them something, they can take that information to the bank!

Third, we need to be at the table. Our goal is to always be at the negotiating table. We may disagree with others, but we won’t be disagreeable. We believe that if we act professionally and stay issues-oriented, then we avoid the personal attacks that can lead to losing our chair at the table or can discourage someone else from being at the table.
The solutions to most issues are negotiated. Rarely does one individual or group have all of the answers. If we are not at the table, the chances of our success drop to zero. Staying at the negotiating table is very difficult for all of us because we are all very passionate about what we believe. Rural issues are not just bargaining chips in some game; they are the life blood of our communities, so it is important that we maintain our discipline and professionalism to keep our seat at the negotiating table.

Last but not least, RMFU is constantly building coalitions. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union needs to be a “uniter” organization, not a “divider” organization. We cannot help our rural areas without a lot of help from others. We are constantly networking, discussing, and researching for partners to help us improve family farming.

Our door is always open andwe welcome everyone to come in and get to know us.
We value all of our relationships, particularly with other farm organizations. Agriculture is a relatively small spot in the big picture, but we represent the people who feed the nation and we deserve to be heard. Our fellow farm organizations are invaluable to us and we guard those relationships very closely. We don’t drive around the country, trash-talking other farm organizations or their members. We don’t have the time or the inclination to do so. There is just too much work that needs to be done for family farmers. When Rocky does a good job of developing coalitions, everyone benefits. Let’s not forget that everyone has to eat.

There you have it in a nutshell, how Rocky Mountain Farmers Union promotes our policy. It’s not rocket science, and I didn’t give away any family secrets, it’s just how we go about doing your business.

I hope you all have a great spring!

When I worked at Northeastern Junior College, I had the benefit of being covered by a comprehensive health care plan along with other State of Colorado employees. For the years I have been employed solely at the ranch, though, I haven’t been able to afford health insurance. Even though ranching and farming are some of the most dangerous occupations because of the nature of our work, many of us can’t afford health insurance and live day-to-day with the fear that one misstep might lead us into bankruptcy.

As many of you already know, my wife Sarah and I had our little boy Trevor on March 17th. While he was healthy, he surprised us by coming seven weeks early. As a pre-term baby, he had to stay in the NICU for four weeks before he was able to come home. The care he received at the Yampa Valley Medical Center was first-rate, and we are one of the rare rural communities that has access to such world-class facilities and staff. But we are not alone, rural residents or not, in that we have accumulated bills with our recent hospital stay that would put us in bankruptcy if it weren’t for the health insurance provided to us by Sarah’s employer.

Do today’s young families have a right to health insurance, whether they can afford it or not? Do we need to change the way we approach health care as a country, or are we happy with the status quo?

As I see our health care bills exceed $100,000, I’m truly thankful that we have the insurance we need to cover our expenses. Isn’t it only fair that all responsible, hard-working people should have that same right?

If I had offered some words to describe my first year, they might have included “learning,” “excited,” and “sometimes overwhelmed.” I am happy to report that I would still use the word “learning,” and still use the word “excited,” but I would more likely replace “overwhelmed” with “more comfortable.” We have a complex organization, and we’re a changing, living entity. “Learning” and “excited” always describe how it feels to work with RMFU.

This year, we have a number of board seats up for re-election, as well as the Vice President’s position. As I understand it, two of the three open director’s positions have incumbents running unopposed. At this time, I am running unopposed as well. Is this what our members want, or would you like to see a little competition for these seats come November?

I truly enjoy being on the Board of RMFU and its related entities. The other directors are passionate about our organization, have incredible knowledge about agriculture and Farmers Union, and have your best interests at heart. But does that mean that any or all of us should be handed our seats because no one will run against us?

It has been quite a long time since we have seen such a harvest in our area, so this year’s crop makes us even more thankful than we normally would be. While we are enjoying the beautiful fall colors, we should give thanks for those who came before us, for taking the time to formulate changes that gave us the good life we have today.

Fall roundup at the Terry Ranch Grazing Association, in Carr, Colorado, was always an exciting time for my family. It was always fun to see the progress of the cattle through the summer and to finally bring them home to feed out in Mead.

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is ready to have our fall roundup. RMFU’s roundup begins with county conventions and district meetings – and just about any other place where two or more of our members get together. These grassroots conversations have to take place before RMFU can have good, sound policy. It finishes up at the big convention in November, where delegates finalize that grassroots policy.

“Grassroots.” I love that word, and when it comes to Rocky, grassroots action is the blood and backbone of the organization. I believe this with all of my heart, and that is the primary reason I ran for president. I have unquestionable faith in our members to formulate sound rural policy. Our past success, our current responsibilities, and our future as a viable farm organization depend on the rank and file member who is willing to show up for a meeting or serve on a committee.

It is absolutely imperative to the success of Rocky and rural America that we round up our members and friends in Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico so they can give Rocky the direction it must have to improve bottom lines all across rural America.

I believe all of us have a responsibility to try to leave the earth in a little better shape than we found it. So let’s get these county meetings going; let’s fill the delegate seats at the state convention; let’s effect change that will improve the lifestyle in rural America and make future generations as proud of us as we of the people who came before us. Success for us starts with grassroots conversation and participation, county conventions, delegate rosters and, policy formulations. We achieve success with laws and programs and individual and family actions that improve rural America.

I hope you all of you have a bountiful fall and a successful roundup.

I think fall is my favorite time of year. This fall is special because we are harvesting an extra good crop.

It has been quite a long time since we have seen such a harvest in our area, so this year’s crop makes us even more thankful than we normally would be. While we are enjoying the beautiful fall colors, we should give thanks for those who came before us, for taking the time to formulate changes that gave us the good life we have today.

Fall roundup at the Terry Ranch Grazing Association, in Carr, Colorado, was always an exciting time for my family. It was always fun to see the progress of the cattle through the summer and to finally bring them home to feed out in Mead.

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is ready to have our fall roundup. RMFU’s roundup begins with county conventions and district meetings – and just about any other place where two or more of our members get together. These grassroots conversations have to take place before RMFU can have good, sound policy. It finishes up at the big convention in November, where delegates finalize that grassroots policy.

“Grassroots.” I love that word, and when it comes to Rocky, grassroots action is the blood and backbone of the organization. I believe this with all of my heart, and that is the primary reason I ran for president. I have unquestionable faith in our members to formulate sound rural policy. Our past success, our current responsibilities, and our future as a viable farm organization depend on the rank and file member who is willing to show up for a meeting or serve on a committee.

It is absolutely imperative to the success of Rocky and rural America that we round up our members and friends in Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico so they can give Rocky the direction it must have to improve bottom lines all across rural America. I believe all of us have a responsibility to try to leave the earth in a little better shape than we found it. So let’s get these county meetings going; let’s fill the delegate seats at the state convention; let’s effect change that will improve the lifestyle in rural America and make future generations as proud of us as we of the people who came before us. Success for us starts with grassroots conversation and participation, county conventions, delegate rosters and, policy formulations. We achieve success with laws and programs and individual and family actions that improve rural America.

I hope you all of you have a bountiful fall and a successful roundup.

Last year, with the election of a new President and all of the related activities at convention, I had little chance to visit with you, our members, about my first year as Vice President.

If I had offered some words to describe my first year, they might have included “learning,” “excited,” and “sometimes overwhelmed.” I am happy to report that I would still use the word“learning,” and still use the word “excited,” but I would more likely replace “overwhelmed” with “more comfortable.” We have a complex organization, and we’re a changing, living entity. “Learning” and “excited” always describe how it feels to work with RMFU.

This year, we have a number of board seats up for re-election, as well as the Vice President’s position. As I understand it, two of the three open director’s positions have incumbents running unopposed. At this time, I am running unopposed as well. Is this what our members want, or would you like to see a little competition for these seats come November?

I truly enjoy being on the Board of RMFU and its related entities. The other directors are passionate about our organization, have incredible knowledge about agriculture and Farmers Union, and have your best interests at heart. But does that mean that any or all of us should be handed our seats because no one will run against us?

Last year a group of members brought to us a Special Order of Business that proposed term limits for board members. When the board considered recommending or not recommending the passage of the order for convention attendees last year, I voted to not recommend passing the order. I have always felt that when one is a member of a true democracy, one always has the opportunity for term limits: the incumbent should run, fair and square, against someone else so the voter can decide who best represents their views. But if no one will run against an incumbent, we never have that opportunity.

While it may be too late to put your name on the ballot for this November’s election, you can still run for a board seat. Two years ago, I ran a write-in campaign for the Vice President’s position. My predecessor, Paul Stout, had done a great job as VP, but I felt that if I wanted my voice heard at the board level, then I should run for a position. To my surprise, I won, and it has been a privilege to represent you since. But that doesn’t mean I should have my seat back by default.

If you have an opportunity to do something and you don’t do it, can you blame another for your decision? Is it the incumbent’s fault you didn’t win a seat at the table, or is it yours because you never gave us the opportunity to choose?

You have until November 19th to answer the question.

Disaster aid will be here in January and it’s about time! Congress passed the Iraq spending bill recently and in that bill is $3 billion for agriculture disaster relief, including livestock. This is the culmination of a three-year fight with Congress and an administration that refused to sign agriculture disaster in the past.

Your Farmers Union organizations were the leaders in procuring this aid. We sunk our teeth into this deal like we were a mad Rottweiler and just didn’t let go until the administration totally capitulated. A lot of people are taking credit for this win, but three years ago, when the disaster battle began, the only group charging the hill was Farmer Union, and we need to be proud of that.