Farmers need to talk about issues that affect agriculture, INFB president says

Details

Published: Monday, 15 December 2014 03:05

FRENCH LICK - In today’s world, “It takes every farmer getting involved to accomplish our goals and to accomplish our priorities,” Indiana Farm Bureau President Don Villwock told attendees to the organization’s annual convention, held Dec. 12-13 in French Lick.

In his annual address to the membership, Villwock challenged farmers to continue to talk to legislators and opinion leaders about the issues that matter to agriculture, including skyrocketing property taxes, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Waters of the U.S. rule, protecting farm data, and annexation of farm ground by cities and towns.

While property taxes have been an issue for farmers for years, the issue isn’t going away. In fact, Villwock said, it’s becoming more critical.

Property taxes have gone up an average of 33 percent in the last three years, and they are scheduled to go up an additional 16.5 percent this year and 18 percent next year. This becomes even more important due to tumbling crop prices, he pointed out.

“Every one of you must contact your legislator this winter to tell your story,” he said. “Tell them we need their help in fixing the unfair property tax system. But if we are to succeed, we not only need you. We need new members, your neighbors, helping us tell the property tax story, too.”

Another issue that hasn’t gone away is the fight against the EPA’s proposed Waters of the U.S. rule, which Villwock said he believed would be the “largest land grab in the history of the United States” if it goes through. He added that it would give EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers regulatory authority over almost every farm in Indiana.

Through a campaign known as “Ditch the Rule,” INFB and other state Farm Bureaus from across the country have banded together to get EPA to reconsider and withdraw the proposal.

An emerging issue is annexation of farm ground by cities and towns. Villwock explained that this is becoming a bigger and bigger issue as cities and towns struggle to increase their tax base.

“In last year’s legislative session we lost by one vote our battle to get farmers the protection they need. Yes, one vote,” he said. “Your call could have made the difference.”

One success story is the issue of “big data,” specifically protecting the privacy of the data generated by farm operations. The American Farm Bureau Federation convened a national working group made up of agribusinesses, machinery companies and farm organizations, and Villwock represented farmers on that working group. The group was able to establish some guidelines that protected farmers’ ownership and use of their personal data.

The No. 1 reason people don’t join Farm Bureau, Villwock said, is that they were never asked.

“Please ask your neighboring farmer, your fertilizer dealer, your seed salesman to join. Ask your banker, your machinery dealer, your crop consultant, your feed salesman to join. We need them all, because each and every one of them has a great stake in the future viability and success of agriculture,” he added. “We must unite, we must reach out and we must ask everyone we can to be a Farm Bureau member.”