PRESIDENTS Column

By Gary Sansom

President

21 Jan 2010 US Farmers Face Some Serious Challenges – Just Like Us

I wouldn’t normally look to the United States of America for guidance or inspiration when it comes to agriculture issues, but I just happened to notice some of the issues debated at last weeks American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) meeting, and some of the policy discussions offered information relevant in a Queensland and Australian context.
American farmers meet annually to formalise policy positions and it usually happens in winter for them when things aren’t so hectic on their farms. This was the ninety first annual get together, this year in Seattle for over 350 delegates.
There was a recurring theme over the three days, namely that food security is a critical issue for the whole planet and it is vital that farmers engage with consumers to ensure food production capability isn’t compromised by ill conceived policies.
This message emerged in key sessions covering such diverse topics as climate change legislation, water rights and communication. Let me summarise my take on what American farmers see as their immediate challenges.
Climate change is a challenge but the Cap and Trade legislation currently under consideration by Congress won’t provide any solutions. “It’s all pain and no gain” said one presenter. “It’s a rationing scheme under which the state decides how much of something you may use. It’s about revenues, rents and ideologies, full of accounting gimmicks. Your input costs and everybody else’s will rise. It would accomplish wealth transfers and not affect the climate.”
This same speaker noted the outcome would be similar to the recent Copenhagen climate conference, “a historic agreement to meet again next year”! I can appreciate the sentiment being expressed here, albeit with a Hollywood sense of humour!
The President of the American Farm Bureau noted that the US climate change legislation would shift 59 million acres of food farms to permanent forests and that is why the Bureau says “don’t cap our future agricultural productivity and food security”.
Water rights and allocations have become contentious in the USA too. Like here, part of the problem is that the states have jurisdiction over water and inter state conflicts add additional dimension to the usual “feuding between farmers, households and environmental groups.”
The AFBF says putting farmland in semi-permanent fallow (as is happening for up to a third of California’s farms) is not a solution. “The key is to stop infighting and look for resolutions like building reservoirs to buffer drought years. Consumers must be reminded that to have food you must have water.”
I acknowledge the elegant simplicity of that position, but it hasn’t worked there or here. Recall that neither South East Queensland’s nor the Murray Darling’s water issues are resolved and discussing the building of a new dam would be regarded as blasphemous to some.
And perhaps it is on the third issue of communications that last weeks US farmers meeting might be most instructive for Queenslanders.
AFBF President Bob Stallman called on all farmers “to rally as one during these challenging times”. He said that farmers can’t afford to be divided amongst themselves if they are to deal effectively with the “many external forces tugging at agriculture’s seams.”
“We must not allow the activists and self-appointed and self-promoting food experts to drive a wedge between us.”
“A line must be drawn between our polite and respectful engagement with consumers and how we must aggressively respond to the extremists.”
One communications specialist at last weeks conference noted that farmers need to take up the challenge of using the new “Social Media”, such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to explain the farming story and stay constantly engaged with consumers.
That’s where the under 35’s (the “digital natives”) get their information and learn she said.
In the busy business of farming I’m not sure if a webcam or blog is the best way to “communicate” all the complexities that go into getting food from farm to plate, but I’m open minded enough to listen to our American “cousins” and learn where I can.

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