AGF joins ASI for Lobbying Trip to Washington
on Jul 25 in LegislativeDuring the first week of May, President Tom Boyer of Utah and Katherine Harrison of Ohio joined representatives from the American Sheep Industry for an exciting lobbying trip to Washington DC! Along with representatives from numerous other states, Tom & Katherine worked to promote the interests of the small ruminant industry through educating governmental leaders. The trip officially kicked off on Monday with dinner at the New Zealand Embassy. The Embassy hosted a wonderful lamb dinner with delicious New Zealand wines. The Ambassador gave a very well-received after-dinner speech, focusing on the common ties between goatherds & shepherds on both continents. It was a convivial start to a successful week of promoting agriculture!
Tuesday morning started bright and early at the United States Department of Agriculture headquarters. Several USDA agencies – including FSA, APHIS, AMS, Foreign Ag Service, and the National Forest Service – sent representatives to brief the goat & sheep industry. Hearing the concerns of farmers & ranchers from other states, provided Tom & Katherine with more knowledge of the impact of federal policies on our industry. Legislative meetings with Members of Congress and their aides began on Tuesday afternoon and kept Tom & Katherine busy all through Wednesday.
Tom & Katherine worked to tailor their message to show each Member of Congress how the goat industry impacts their district – whether rural or urban! As Katherine said, “One of most positive meetings for the Ohio delegation was with Dedan Bruner of Congresswoman Marcia Fudge’s office. Congresswoman Fudge represents Ohio’s 11th district in Cleveland, and she is a member of the House Ag Committee because so many of her constituents receive food stamps. Bruner was receptive to our message and was especially interested in learning that individuals receiving federal assistance for food are able to purchase fresh goat meat to provide their families with high quality protein.”
Tom & Katherine stressed during the legislative meetings that now is a great time to be in the goat industry thanks to the growing demand for goat meat from ethnic populations. There is an opportunity for job creation as many individuals want to become involved in goat or sheep production. In order to recruit more people into small ruminant production to meet the growing demand, several key items are needed. It is important to continue striving for the eradication of scrapie to promote the import market. Livestock producers must be allowed to utilize available – and approved – means for predator control so that kid crops are not decimated. Finally, it is vital to ensure that livestock production in the Western United States is allowed to continue on federal lands. The goat & sheep industry is such that if production diminishes there, the infrastructure for the entire industry will be affected.
On Wednesday night, the American Sheep Industry celebrated a successful lobbying trip with a barbeque overlooking the Potomac River. A brief rainstorm created the perfect scenario for the guests at the boat club to enjoy a brilliant rainbow shining over the river. It was an apt metaphor for the goat industry: there are definite storms to weather, but the industry has a bright future! Katherine stated that, “We are so fortunate in Ohio to have the potential to grow our industry. This lobbying trip truly opened our eyes to the variety of struggles that livestock producers face throughout our country. It is crucially important that we support one another, so that we can capitalize on the potential to grow goat and sheep numbers throughout America.”
