New York

Rural America still counts. We still have a voice. Our opinion matters.

Rural America still counts. We still have a voice. Our opinion matters. There were some who didn’t put much stock in that belief before the election of President Donald Trump last November, but his presidency has turned the political world on its head. It was largely rural voters who elected him to the highest office in the land.

I will admit that even I was not expecting the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. However, hearing the news took me back to December of 2012 when U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told us that rural America was “becoming less and less relevant.” His message was that rural America needed to be more proactive and less reactive on the issues that affect many of us in agriculture.

In my opinion he wanted us to toe the line as President Obama and his administration imposed their will against our very way of life. No longer was American agriculture capable of opposing added regulatory fiat by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Labor or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Rural America was expected to acquiesce as our way of life was changed from what we knew.

On election night, rural America said, “Not so fast.”

So, we now have Trump and a U.S. Congress controlled by the Republican party. What does this mean for agriculture in New York and the Northeast? It is going to be a mixed bag. When it comes to immigration reform, we will be looking at border enforcement, perhaps a wall, and identification verification before we get any comprehensive reform. Farm Bureau has long said an enforcement-only approach would cost American agriculture tens of billions of dollars and would raise food prices for consumers. Along with border enforcement, we need a workable guest worker program that will allow for greater legal access to seasonal and yearround farm labor.

On the trade front, Trump has been very clear on his disdain for free trade agreements, and it is certain that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead as we knew it last year. This is concerning because greater access to world markets and a fair trade system that doesn’t allow for tariff retaliation on U.S. exports are essential for growing the farm economy. If TPP alone had passed, the American Farm Bureau Federation estimated that it would have increased cash receipts and net exports from New York by $111.4 million and $66.2 million per year, respectively. It also estimated that the increased marketing opportunities for New York’s farmers and ranchers would have added more than 500 jobs to the New York economy. These are economic opportunities that we still must push for with the new president.

On the positive side, we should see a slowdown and pullback on the many burdensome regulations that have affected businesses of all types. Hopefully, we will say goodbye to the expansion of the Waters of the U.S. that looked to regulate dry farmland under the guise of the Clean Water Act.

It is early in his administration, but we are hopeful officials will be friendlier to rural America and agriculture in general. Hopefully, the new administrator of the EPA will work with agriculture and rural America to establish open lines of communication and allow us to partner with the agency on issues to benefit the environment instead of dictating to us what the rules will be. Tax reform is also on the list as both Trump and congressional leaders have announced plans to reform the current tax code.

We in agriculture have much to gain and lose with the incoming administration. It is imperative that Farm Bureau, at all levels, remains vigilant on our positions and advocates for our rural way of life.

I encourage everyone in farming communities across the region to keep reminding Trump and our elected leaders at every level of government that to ignore rural America has consequences.

When people are not from the Northeast, they often have a misconception of what rural life is like in this part of the country. They tend to think of the big cities, but overlook the vast amount of farmland that is some of the finest in America.

Many people have no idea of the dairy production, orchards and vineyards, the diversity in vegetable production or even the maple and equine operations that dot the countryside. Farming is vitally important to the rural economies in New York and across New England, and that is why the president of American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) spent a few days earlier this summer to get a firsthand look at what is happening here, so he can spread the news.

Zippy Duvall was elected to his new position in January after previously serving as president of Georgia Farm Bureau. He has a poultry and beef operation in his home state, but now spends much of his time in Washington, D.C., and traveling the country to learn about the issues affecting farmers.

This was his first real foray into New York agriculture, and he dove in headfirst. His tour took him throughout central New York and the Finger Lakes, into the Southern Tier and across the western part of the state.

“All the issues may be the same across the country, but they may affect us so differently in the regions,” Duvall said. “And everyone has a story to tell how that affects them in their region. It is important for me to know that firsthand.”

With New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton as his guide, the pair kicked things off with a roundtable discussion with winery owners where they discussed trade and border issues. He had dinner with county farm bureau leaders from throughout New York. They told stories of problems with regulations, the impact of the $15 minimum wage in New York and concerns about food labeling.

His tour took him through Cornell University where he met with leaders in the College of Animal and Life Sciences, saw the latest agricultural research happening at the Geneva Experiment Station and visited numerous family farms to discuss things like immigration, environmental regulations and food safety. It was an effort to better educate himself so he can educate policymakers.

“If I go up on [Capitol] Hill and talk to a congressman or senator and it’s about regulation, I need to know how those regulations are affecting farmers and ranchers in New York. I can testify to that and say I have been there, talked to them. That is a valuable thing for me to carry with me when I do this job,” Duvall said.

But he also needs the backup of farm bureau members. Often when there is a call to action on an important issue, farmers have a tendency to put it off until later. As a farmer, he understands that farmers are busy with a lot on their minds, and it’s easy to forget about making that phone call to an elected official or sending an email to the state Capitol. He said that thinking must change, especially as groups like Humane Society of the United States, AARP and others can generate millions of responses quickly to Capitol Hill. The farm bureau must be able to keep up or it will be left behind.

“That is when we become successful and that’s when we move the needle and make our lives in rural America better,” he said.

It isn’t just public policy that he is concerned about, but also public perception. Unlike any time in recent memory, consumers are taking a more active role in learning about the food they’re eating, where it comes from and how it is grown.

While some of the discussion, particularly in social media, can be critical of farming, Duvall said we need to move beyond being offended.

“We need to look at it as an opportunity,” he said.

He encouraged farmers he met on his tour to take a more active role in sharing their stories. He says there is no better place to do that than in our rural communities, where farmers work and live. They should be discussing this with their neighbors and looking for opportunities to get in front of an audience. That is a strength of a farm bureau that can sponsor a Future Farmers of America group or booster club event. They can get in front of a civic club and talk about their farm and production methods.

“What I have discovered all across America is public opinion is just as important as public policy,” Duvall said. “Farm bureau has spent almost 100 years promoting our policy, and now we have to realize that there is something just as important and that is what the public thinks about us.”

Duvall said he was in awe of the beautiful scenery in New York and impressed with the farms and innovation taking place. He was moved and overwhelmed by the people he met. Farmers in the Northeast aren’t much different from their counterparts across the country. They all care passionately about what they do and the care they take doing it, and he is happy to share those stories with people who may not realize what they have going for them and working against them in the region.

“I look forward to working hard for the farms and ranchers in this state and across America. It is a privilege and an honor, and I take it very seriously,” he said.