Those who follow the political entanglements of our times have an uneasiness about the future of where some of our major policy issues may land. There are more questions and uncertainties than there are answers and clarity. There is a sense that emotions have overcome logic as leaders make efforts to settle on firm ground on many confounding politically charged issues, including food and agriculture policy.
Efforts to stay engaged with strong communication remain as a necessary constant demand. With broad engagement and leadership, our collective prospects for a bright agriculture future will endure. Reflecting on history, we have always found a better way forward with engagement.
The engagement of our political leaders takes some courage and patience, and input from our cooperative members who have feet on the ground and hands in the dirt. Collaborative groups have been formed across diverse interests to provide strength in communication. These collaborations have proved to be an essential tool to assist leaders understand the dynamics of the challenges in agriculture and food policy.
What is at stake if we do not get this completed competently is captured in a couple statements made by former President Hebert Hoover, who led the first worldwide humanitarian food effort during World War I. While educated and employed as a mining engineer, he was directed to lead the food aid effort in Europe because of his ability to get things done during that time. As head of the American Relief Administration with a mission to extend aid to famine-stricken Russia he reported, “Twenty million people are starving. Whatever their politics, they shall be fed.” Leading up to that moment there had been decades of struggle and debate over the role of USA to serve humanitarian aid. A way forward was found.
Yet today we still struggle over budget and policy to the point of gridlock. As we go and grow forward, we know agriculture of all kinds must be supported because the risk is hunger. As Hoover said in a radio address to the American people on May 17, 1946, “Hunger is a silent visitor who comes like a shadow. He sits beside every anxious mother three times each day. He brings not only suffering and sorrow, but fear and terror. He carries disorder and the paralysis of government, and even its downfall. He is more destructive than armies, not only in human life but in morals. All the values of right living melt before his invasions, and every gain of civilization crumbles.“
Don’t take agriculture and the miracle of a sound food system for granted. Together we need to maintain a consistent rhythm of engagement and communication to assist our leaders in making the best policies to serve us all. As we work together to overcome the politics of our time, our engagement awards us with being recognized the great humanitarian of this generation.
As timing for a new Farm Bill faces a looming deadline, Congress does not appear to be able to successfully meet the challenge to get through the finish line. It seems nearly impossible to get a Farm Bill under the circumstance of government shut down and budget disparity. There is no crisis in agriculture currently, yet there is need to maintain stability in agriculture policy as the supply chain remains fragile. Encourage broad communication and engagement while we can through this current political cycle, and together we will avert disasters of the past.
To view the article in the online 2023 Fall Partners Magazine, click here.
