could affect modern agriculture, means ….
could affect modern agriculture, means farmers need to tell their story immediately.
“Eighty-three million people have discussed MAHA in the past two months. We’re concerned that the MAHA movement may not have a complete picture of advances modern agriculture have made to growing a safe and abundant food supply. We need clear definitions for words like regenerative and sustainable, and farmers need ownership of those. It’s going to be more important than ever to visit with your Congressional delegation and talk to moms at your kid’s sporting events to explain what we do as farmers.”
Bandel said being on IAC committees is extremely valuable. “It’s exciting to share ideas and see our directives from this meeting advance. As for our Congressional visits, it was a wonderful meeting with Sen. Sheehy. We heard positive news from our Congressional visits regarding the 2017 tax cuts which are expiring but it seems we could see extension on those with some permanency, especially with the estate tax.”
Heibertshausen, a sheep rancher from Alzada, noted, “It is amazing what change a new administration can bring. One of the positives our committee agreed on is President Trump getting his cabinet established quickly. One of our concerns, however, was cutbacks in the Department of the Interior staff. The good news is we have a competent Secretary of the Interior who is reviewing the feasibility of their programs, how to save money, and how to carry programs out with potentially less staff.” The committee received insights from former Department of the Interior officials as well as an update from the House Natural Resources Committee. “President Zippy Duvall spoke to us and his message was to interact with the new faces in federal offices. Many employees are new to their jobs, and they may not yet fully appreciate the importance and benefits of grazing on federal lands. We need to tell them our story, so they understand the important role agriculture plays in maintaining public lands.”
Rolf led the members to meet with Sen. Tim Sheehy and with the staff of Sen. Steve Daines, Rep. Ryan Zinke and Rep. Troy Downing.
