June 2008
Leadership Farm Bureau – Washington D.C.
By Kevin Kohnen and Stephanie Intveld
Theodore Roosevelt said, "I want to see you shoot the way you shout." The fourth Leadership Farm Bureau Class brought us to Washington D.C. where we were able to take to the hill the things that are important to us, to our livelihood, and to our families. It was evident that CFBF, over the course of the previous three classes, had given our class the ability to shoot straight by effectively and confidently sharing with the legislators what is important to California agriculture. The diversity of our class gave us the ability to represent many issues that face California agriculture. Such issues included The Clean Water Act, immigration, labor and the cost of energy. Every member in our class had different concerns we wanted to address and knowledge about our different industries we wanted to convey to the legislature.
After a long day of travel across the country, Leadership Farm Bureau's Class of 2008 trip to Washington D.C. officially began on Sunday, June 15, 2008. Ninety-degree temperatures with 90% humidity greeted us upon our arrival. Our first day in the nation's capitol offered an opportunity for sightseeing and playing tourist. Our class broke off into groups of people with like interests. Some groups visited Arlington, others visited various Smithsonians' and some decided it would be a great time to do some shopping in famous Georgetown. The first time in DC for many, the long day of sightseeing and shopping was eventually completed with a group dinner at Old Glory BBQ in Georgetown. We feasted on old-fashioned American BBQ while watching U.S. Open Golf and Lakers Playoff Basketball.
Monday morning began early with briefings from the American Farm Bureau and staff from CFBF. Monday afternoon we put our training into action discussing climate change, energy, the Clean Water Act and the Farm Bill. We met with Rebeckah Adcock from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Minority Staff, Brian McKeon, from Senator Boxer's office, and our final meeting for the day was with Keith Jones, House Agricultural Committee Staff. The members of our class were able to interact with the staff, get questions answered, and show them that problems that face the agricultural industry, also affect individuals. After our final meeting, we experienced an intense thunderstorm, a unique experience for Californians in June!
That evening, our class ate at Old Ebbitt Grill, the oldest bar in Washington D.C. There is a reason it has been in business for 152 years, the food and drinks were excellent! We celebrated Kevin Robertson's birthday and spent the evening with friends. Later that night, the very knowledgeable Jack King, Manager of the National Affairs Division, gave us a tour of D.C. As we passed the White House, three military helicopters flew by dropping off the President. Secret Service blocked our view of the landing but Charlie Starr and Shannon Douglass, in true paparazzi style, were able to get pictures of the landing. We went to the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. The evening was a true experience for all of us.
Tuesday, our final day, was very full. Our group split up and we met with Congressmen or staff from our individual districts. The day ended with the class splitting up into two groups. One group went to the Ukrainian Embassy, a very historic building located in Georgetown. The Ukraine is starting to develop industry, agriculture, and a sustaining economy since it became an independent nation in 1991 from Soviet communist rule. Ukraine, once considered the breadbasket of Europe, is now having difficulties forming farms and agricultural industries. Ukraine currently does not have any private land and all agricultural land is leased through the government. The stark differences between America and Ukraine became apparent to us as we learned more about the country. The visit to the Embassy showed our group the importance of our trip to Washington D.C. Without the ability to communicate effectively with the elected officials, agriculture tomorrow will be unrecognizable. For example, the passing of the Clean Water Act would forever change farming by taking the rights of the farmers and putting it under the control of the Federal Government. The Clean Water Act is one of several issues that our class felt passionately about.
The second group went to the Office of Government Accountability to meet with two staff members from the Army Corps of Engineers. Our primary goal was to clarify some technical information regarding the wording and interpretation of the Clean Water Act. The group learned very quickly that the Army Corps of Engineers does not make the rules, they simply enforce the rules.
By 3:00 on Tuesday afternoon, all the meetings were over and the class started migrating to the airport. It was a long three days but in the end, through our legislative meetings we were able to effectively communicate some of the most serious issues threatening California's most vital industry, agriculture.