Agri News
Thursday, October 13, 2005
http://webstar.agrinews.com/agrinews/334613665360051.bsp
Farmer says lobbying trip was worthwhile
By Janet Kubat Willette
Agri News staff writer
HAYFIELD, Minn. — Evan Schmeling's pristine vision of Washington was shattered on his first visit to the nation's capital.
Schmeling, a third-generation farmer who raises corn, soybeans and sweet corn near Hayfield, was expecting to see in person what he's seen in photographs and on television over the years.
Instead, there was construction all over and the city was abuzz.
"My impression was it's a very busy place," Schmeling said. "It's a working place where there's things happening all the time."
He and his wife, Linda, spent three days in Washington in early September meeting with lawmakers to lobby for payment limits on commodity programs, limits in cuts to food and nutrition programs and no cuts to the Conservation Security Program.
"It was quite an interesting trip," Schmeling said.
The couple, who traveled with Vicky Poier of Montevideo on a trip organized by Land Stewardship Project, landed in Washington about the same time lawmakers returned to town after Hurricane Katrina. It was a zoo with lawmakers scurrying to pass hurricane relief legislation, he said.
Still, most Minnesota lawmakers or their aides took time to visit with them.
The days were long and busy, Schmeling said. They saw six people one day and three the next morning. Linda developed blisters on both feet from all the walking.
They were given a short course on what to say when talking to lawmakers and their aides and how to treat people they talked with. They weren't told what to say.
"When I visit with somebody, I tell him what comes from here," Schmeling said, pointing to his heart.
He admits lobbying isn't his favorite thing, yet visiting the nation's capital and meeting with lawmakers and their aides made him feel patriotic. Lobbying is something everyone in this country can do, he said. It's so real and so powerful.
Yet a person wonders if a visit makes a difference, Schmeling said, sharing a story of visiting with one lawmaker who didn't seem to be very interested in what he was saying. When he arrived home, however, he received a letter telling him the lawmaker had signed onto the Grassley-Dorgan bill to limit commodity subsidies.
He appreciated having Adam Warthesen of LSP along as a guide because Warthesen knew his way around. His least favorite part of the trip was trying to figure out where he was at and finding where he was supposed to be next.
They saw the city from the inside out, Schmeling said, which he imagines is much different than the sights he'd see from a tour bus. Another time, he'd like to visit the city as a tourist to see some of the museums.
Copyright 2004 Agri News
All Rights Reserved
Agri News
Thursday, October 13, 2005
http://webstar.agrinews.com/agrinews/17609059025448.bsp
Schmeling says he'll watch Washington closer
By Janet Kubat Willette
Agri News staff writer
HAYFIELD, Minn. — Evan Schmeling admits he'll be paying closer attention to what goes on in Washington now that he's been there and met with lawmakers and aides.
He and his wife, Linda, lobbied lawmakers in early September on the Conservation Security Program, payment limits and food and nutrition programs.
His priority is payment limits. Schmeling supports limiting government payments to $250,000 per producer, per year.
"In my book, this is just obviously what needs to be cut," Schmeling said.
Putting a cap on payments will save an estimated $1 billion per year.
He also lobbied against cuts to the Conservation Security Program, as proposed in the Senate Agriculture Committee. A neighbor, he said, raises cattle on pasture and receives no commodity program money, yet having cover on the ground protects soil and water quality. The CSP rewards these efforts, he said.
Third, he lobbied for support of food and nutrition programs that help feed hungry people.
If he was writing the next farm bill, he'd take the focus off corn and soybean payments, which he says are creating a grain glut and putting farmers in other countries out of business, and funnel that funding toward the CSP.
He'd try to make it easier for young people, like his son, to get into farming.
He's also trying to envision a way to distribute food so people aren't going hungry and where small processing plants are flourishing. He'd encourage small farmers to raise food that can be consumed or processed nearby as a way to increase food security.
Copyright 2004 Agri News
All Rights Reserved
top
