Wisconsin Farmers Union delegates debate lower

farm program caps

One of the things Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) members are looking for in upcoming farm policy changes would be a much lower cap on all program payments from farm programs.

"Our members just felt we can't be giving people a million dollars in subsidies," said Darin Von Ruden, president of WFU, in a telephone interview Monday (Jan. 30.)

Those large payments from the federal government - which make national headlines - just give farm programs a black eye in the public perception and that gets in the way of any real progress in programs that help family farmers, he said.

The WFU's 102 delegates debated that and a number of other policy questions Jan. 27-28 at the organization's annual convention in Wausau.

Von Ruden said that everything he is hearing about the upcoming Farm Bill debate is telling him that direct payments to farmers will be a thing of the past.

His members feel that the current cap on payments from the government is too high and they'd like to see it lowered.

The members would also like to see any support from the federal government - including subsidies for crop insurance programs - get figured into that cap. Farmers would max out in the program at a smaller cap, he said.

The membership also passed a special order of business asking for more information on a high-voltage power line from Madison to just north of La Crosse.

"Some thought that the study being used to base construction of the power line is overestimating the need for the electricity," Von Ruden said.

Farmers Union has long been a supporter of renewable energy programs. Von Ruden said his members renewed their support for ethanol and other renewable energy programs, but said that they weren't asking for more subsidies for the liquid fuel made from corn.

"We think the ethanol industry is now mature enough to continue without subsidies, but then we'd also like to see the federal subsidies for big oil companies dropped too."

If federal farm programs are slated for huge cuts, then his members thought big oil should take cuts too.

Members also said they supported policies aimed at bringing jobs back to the United States. "That has been part of our policy for years. We believe workers should have rights and protections and they should be treated fairly."

Delegates spent 45 minutes debating a policy resolution recommending cuts to defense spending, but there "just wasn't enough feeling within the crowd" to pass it, he said.

Von Ruden said the mood of the 238 members who attended the annual convention was "very positive."

They enjoyed hearing from a panel of farmers, he said, ranging from a 100-cow dairy to a 15-acre vegetable and fruit operation that operates as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business.

The panelists talked about how they got started, where they are going and how they can improve their farming operations, he said.

One thing they tried to do during this convention was source all the food for the meals locally. "That is an area that's becoming more and more important to WFU members."

The organization has contributed to Fifth Season Cooperative - an organization designed to bring locally produced foods to a central location and distribute it to buyers of those products like hospitals and schools.

Von Ruden said WFU is also poised to support a similar project in Dane County, offering money to help support business planning for a centralized food distribution and handling center.

More and more members of his organization are involved in CSA businesses, he said, and there is continuing and growing interest in supporting local food networks.

There was also discussion of the Farm Bill and how it is likely to affect the dairy industry. "Our members would like to see a different pricing formula than what we have."

His members would like to see dairy pricing tied to what consumers pay for those products in the store.

"Back in the 1970s dairy farmers got 44 to 45 percent of the consumer dollar. It's in the 24 to 26 percent range now. We feel we've got to improve the program to get more of those consumer dollars," he said.

Members also heard from columnist Alan Guebert who urged members to get involved and stay involved in political events that affect their lives and their farming operations.

Von Ruden said the recent recall effort for Gov. Scott Walker was a topic of conversation, since 1.2 million signatures had been collected in the effort and recently turned in.

"The people are the government and we really need to make our voices heard," Von Ruden said.

A number of youth members of WFU were honored in a torchbearer ceremony during the Saturday evening banquet, Von Ruden said.