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| Missouri Corn Growers Association members met Monday with state lawmakers and top officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss the Watershed Research, Assessment and Stewardship Project. From left are: Steve Taylor, MCGA program director; Mike Leavitt, EPA administrator; Jim Gulliford, administrator of U.S. EPA Region 7; and Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.). |
NCGA Utilizes Grassroots Structure to Interact with Top Decision Makers (8-12-04)
Through sustained grassroots efforts, members of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) continue to have an influential voice in local, state and national policy decisions. In the past several months, growers have had numerous opportunities to address NCGA’s priorities with lawmakers, administrators and other high-ranking governmental decision makers.
NCGA President Dee Vaughan said these officials look to NCGA members as credible authorities on agriculture-related issues. “We’ve been very fortunate in recent months to meet with several high-level officials and share NCGA’s vision with them,” he said. “Our members have a significant interest in the future of agriculture and the future of our country, and the most effective way to communicate our priorities is through grassroots contact with lawmakers and other top officials.”
Last week, NCGA First Vice President-Elect Gerald Tumbleson spoke one-on-one with President George W. Bush during a campaign stop in Mankato, Minn. The Sherburn, Minn., farmer had a two-minute conversation with the president regarding the importance of private ownership to agriculture.
As reported on the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) Web site, Tumbleson said, “It's such a rare opportunity to get two minutes with the president. That's like gold. When you get that kind of time, your mind races and you're trying so hard to get your message across.”
A day later, MCGA members escorted Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman around the Farmfest agriculture expo and trade show on one of its E-85-powered golf carts. Veneman asked to drive the vehicle herself, while Corn Board member Gene Sandager and MCGA President Ron Obermoller traded off riding with her to help her navigate around the Farmfest grounds.
Corn growers in Missouri also had a golden opportunity to interact with a key government official this week. On Monday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Mike Leavitt joined Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), the farmer leaders and staff of the Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and other partners in celebrating the partnership and success of the Watershed Research, Assessment and Stewardship Project (WRASP).
In a public event on the banks of Smithville Lake near Kansas City, Leavitt and Bond spoke to local corn farmers and WRASP project partners and congratulated them for their work over the past five years, which has resulted in improved water quality in the Smithville and other Missouri watersheds.
“We are honored to be recognized by EPA Administrator Leavitt and Senator Bond,” said MCGA President Sam Creed, a farmer from Fairfax, Mo. “We believe this recognition from Administrator Leavitt highlights that water quality and farm profitability are not competing goals. The Missouri Corn Growers Association is developing win-win solutions that can help our family farming operations and the environment.”
The recent exchanges with Bush, Veneman and Leavitt come just weeks after NCGA members visited their state legislators and officials from the administration on Capitol Hill during July Corn Congress. During the Hill visits, growers restated the need for a comprehensive energy bill, modern transportation systems and discussed other key legislative issues. Also during Corn Congress, Vice President Dick Cheney addressed NCGA and accepted the association’s Friend of Corn Growers award on the president’s behalf.
“The level of interaction we had with Vice President Cheney and members of Congress during Corn Congress was remarkable,” Vaughan said. “The fact that they made time for us proves NCGA is a well-regarded organization. And it proves how a grower-driven organization can effectively communicate the interests of farmers across the country.”