From the Field is a bi-monthly column written by Mark Campbell, Farm Bureau Field Services Director for the Central District. He writes about Farm Bureau member benefits and County Farm Bureau activities.
Congressman
Robert Hurt met with constituents in the 5th district this week. He has a large
area to cover as the 5th congressional district stretches from the North
Carolina and Virginia state line to Warrenton and is almost the size of Massachusetts.
Scott Leake, director of outreach and coalitions from the Charlottesville
district office, also attended and has attended numerous Farm Bureau meetings
in the past.
The
meetings with farmers were in Charlottesville and Fork Union. On Tuesday
afternoon, Congressman Hurt met with several farmers and members of the
Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee in Charlottesville. The
second meeting was in Fork Union at the Fluvanna County Farm Bureau office at
7:30am on Wednesday. It was attended by several Farm Bureau producer members.
At
both meetings, Congressman Hurt provided an update on happenings at the federal
level and the constant battle to reign in government agencies from overreaching
their authority. He also expressed strong concern about the annual deficits and
the national debt which is now over $17 trillion and noted that the debt is a
national security issue.
The
people that attended were offered an opportunity to make comments and ask questions.
The common theme of questions and comments from both meetings was about the
overreach of federal government agencies and the burden of those agencies, not
just on agriculture and forestry, but everyone.
EPA
was mentioned because of their recent proposed rule to deem all waters, not
just navigable, under their jurisdiction. Congressman Hurt acknowledged that
EPA has far exceeded its authority and operates in an intimidating fashion. He
added that this expansion of power by governmental agencies has been allowed to
happen over the past 50 years under Democrat and Republican presidents and
Congresses, but it needs to get back to where the Congress elected by the
people dictate to the agencies not the agencies writing their own laws.
On
a positive note, Congressman Hurt and Scott Leake were very proud of the FFA
chapters in the district. Nelson County has had national winning teams at
competitions for several years. Fluvanna implemented a horticulture class in
2013, built a greenhouse and established an FFA chapter. Both of these FFAs
have benefited from significant support from the county Farm Bureaus.
The
roundtable meetings were beneficial to both farmers and Congressman Hurt. If
there is ever an opportunity for you to meet with your congressman or senator
in your area, try to go. Their schedules are very busy and you don’t have to
travel to Washington D.C. All of these legislators have district offices and
many of those people, like Scott Leake, are in tune with what is going on in
the counties within the district and are accessible. So if you can’t meet or
speak with your legislator directly, the district offices are a great option.
Until
next time,
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment