Southern MN Farmers Meet with Sec. of Ag Vilsack & Other Top Ag Policymakers in D.C.

Family Farm Conservation, Livestock & Beginning
Farmer Issues Focus of Visits

CONTACT: Adam Warthesen, Land Stewardship Project (LSP), 612-722-6377
Tom Nuessmeier, St. Peter, Minn., farmer and LSP member, 507-995-3541
Fred Dauer, Morgan, Minn., farmer and LSP member, 507-829-6881

3/5/09
SAINT PETER, Minn.— Farmers from southern Minnesota traveled to Washington, D.C., March 2 and 3 to promote implementation of new Farm Bill provisions related to conservation, beginning farmers and livestock, among other issues. The farmers, who were participating in a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) fly-in, met with members of the new Obama Administration as well as lawmakers to discuss ways of forging ahead on farm policy opportunities.

“In our visits with House Agriculture Chair Collin Peterson and in the office of the Secretary of Agriculture, we talked about the need to swiftly and effectively implement working lands conservation, family farm livestock, and beginning farmer programs,” said Tom Nuessmeier, an LSP member and diversified crop and livestock producer from St. Peter, Minn. 

While visiting with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, farmers heard an assessment of the recent U.S. Agriculture Census, which shows a growth in the number of smaller-sized farms as well as the largest category of farm operations, but a decline in mid-sized farms. Vilsack voiced a concern about this trend, and a need to advance programs and policies that support mid-sized farms.

“The actions we pushed for -- how the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) needs to work for family farmers, what actions USDA can take to help farmers receive a fair price for their livestock -- are central to supporting family farms and good land stewardship,” said Nuessmeier.  “Tie in our focus on beginning farmer programs, and that’s a platform that grows the capacity of smaller operations and boosts family farm-sized operations in general.”

The trip was organized by the members of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, including LSP, the Missouri Rural Crisis Center and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. During two high-level meetings at USDA, farmers heard that the Agriculture Department plans to begin implementing the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program in the next month, conduct a CSP sign-up in May, and place greater priority on enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, including establishing criteria as to what constitutes “undue preference of advantage” that is given by corporate meatpackers to favored producers.

“I came away from this trip feeling hopeful,” said Fred Dauer, an LSP member and crop and livestock farmer from Morgan, Minn. “There is definitely a new direction out of D.C. on agriculture issues, but it is going to take the determination of family farm groups like LSP and our allies to forge ahead and demand changes that mean better policy and better results for farmers, as well as stewardship of the land.”

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