Straight from the Horses Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator, Webster County

January 7, 2010 Edition

Can you believe that it is 2011? It will, of course, take me a while to adjust when writing dates to transition from the 10 to an 11.

I would assume everyone is well on their way towards implementing their New Year’s resolutions. I always have good intentions but seem to fall short.

One thing that I do not fall short on is news that relates to agriculture. As we ended 2010 and start 2011, several things bear looking at. Let’s, this week, look at some issues from last year that are certain to continue into and probably through 2011. Today’s farmers and growers face significant challenges, not only business and technical, but also future external policy and environmental challenges.

I read with interest the Nebraska Farm Bureau picks for agriculture's top issues in 2010 and forecasts for what will be agricultural challenges in 2011. They were about step for step with me in my thoughts and conclusions. There is no doubt in my mind that agriculture will continue to be a target for a variety of groups upset with modern food production. Farm Bureau had this as one of the top issues facing Nebraska farmers and ranchers in 2010 and I contend that it will be a top issue in 2011.

Animal rights groups continue to seek restrictions on animal husbandry practices. I think we will see increased pressure from these groups nationally and unfortunately right here in Nebraska. The Humane Society of the United States' visit to Lincoln last November shows increased activity by animal rights groups in our state. I have been warning about this for at least two years and unfortunately it looks like I was right. Even though Wayne Pacelle tried to convince people that HSUS weren’t targeting Nebraska, isn’t it ironic that they have two more “Informational” meetings scheduled next week in Nebraska. There will be on January 17 in Lincoln and another on January 18 in Elkhorn. So much for not being targeted, I suddenly felt a sharp pain somewhere in the vicinity of the seat of my pants.

Don’t believe me? Go to: http://action.humanesociety.org/site/Calendar

I believe that even more than ever we in agriculture and especially our producers need to take an active stance against special interest groups that have been attacking agriculture on issues like animal welfare, food safety and the environment. This nonstop criticism of contemporary agriculture is something we must take seriously. It is vital to communicate about our values and how we continue to produce safe and affordable food in a humane and environmentally-friendly manner. We must not let the activists and self-appointed food experts drive a wedge between us as producers and even more importantly our consumers. We cannot be idle when others are seeking to reshape our industry to fulfill their idea of how agriculture should look. We must do a better job of telling our story. I see that as a must for 2011 and beyond. Animal rights aren’t the only issue in these attacks. High fructose corn syrup is attacked for contributing to obesity, ethanol is attacked in the food vs. fuel debate, and litigation threatens the continued production of GMO crops. Meat is condemned for supposedly causing cancer and bearing bacteria and even antibiotics. Farmers are being blamed for the increasing food prices. There are many misconceptions about agriculture. Farmers and ranchers must tell their story.

Next on the FB list, and once again I agree, is regulatory uncertainty. Nebraska agriculture faced a non-stop regulatory assault in 2010 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and I expect it to continue in 2011. I think I have talked in previous columns on all of them. They include, re-examination of Atrazine, spill prevention rules, potential regulation of irrigation engines by EPA, the possibility of a cow tax for GHG, and “particulate” or more easily described – dust regulations, are all prime examples of regulatory uncertainty faced by farmers and ranchers. The EPA has introduced massive new air and water regulations -- including some that have no real environmental impact but merely create a paperwork nightmare. Add to that the possibility of regulations mirroring the ill-fated Cap and Trade Act coming in the back door through the EPA and you can see my concern. Once again we need to tell our story. Farmers and ranchers are America's original environmentalists because their livelihoods depend on high-quality air, water and soil; if these regulations are fully implemented, they will have a huge negative effect on Nebraska's agricultural economy. Next on the list is the state of the economy and taxes. We know that we are facing this on both the federal and state levels.

There are horror stories on the deficit on the Federal level and we face a major challenge dealing with a $ 986 million budget shortfall right here in Nebraska. We don’t have much control on either one, but we know it will affect us through support programs, including most likely the 2012 Farm Bill. At the state and local level, property taxes are also an issue. Ag land values increased 12% statewide in 2010 from 2009, increasing the growing burden of property taxes. I would assume this increase will continue. This time of year I routinely hear about this as producers come down the stairs from paying their taxes. I understand the frustration but also know that we can’t have the amenities that we have without these levees. The good news here is that we did dodge the higher tax rates and had a two year extension of the “death” tax. The next issue is water. Whether it's the Republican River Compact compliance that we deal with in South Central Nebraska or integrated irrigation management, water issues continue for Nebraska agriculture and for our state. Nebraska agriculture and its economy relies on water, so it is imperative that everyone work together to make the best decisions for producers, local communities and Nebraska citizens.

Once again we need to be ready to tell our story!

The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home