INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Growers need to go where their lobbyists have already been. That was the theme of the Joint Policy Forum of the Indiana Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) and the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) last week at the Glass Barn on the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

The Forum was sponsored by Beck’s Hybrids, and it featured national advocates for corn and soybean growers, local and statewide lawmakers, farmers and staff from Indiana Farm Bureau, ICGA and ISA.

“Continue to tell your story to your senator, your legislator and your neighbor; because if you don’t, the other side will,” said ISA President Dave Lowe.

American Soybean Assoc. CEO Steve Censky advised growers to call lawmakers and their staffs frequently. “Be engaged,” he said. “Call them on a regular basis. They should know your first name.”

Several speakers agreed that senators and representatives are more apt to listen to growers. Often lawmakers will seek the opinions of their constituents on specific legislation – especially if they find they can trust those opinions, said John Doggett, NCGA vice president of public policy.

“I am often asked why I don’t tell (lawmakers) about the issues that matter to corn and soybean growers,” said Jane Ade Stevens, CEO of ICGA and ISA. “The fact is, I do tell them – but I’m just a paid gun. (Legislators don’t) care what I say; (they care) what you say.”

When engaged, agriculture has been successful in arguing for its rights, several speakers claimed. Recently, during the debate about the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule proposed by the U.S. EPA, growers were able to delay implementation. “WOTUS was an over-reach of regulation on your farm,” said Patrick Pfingsten, ICGA and ISA public affairs manager.

Doggett said farmers should remember and be enthused by their successes. “I think we have this perception that the tide is turning against us – it’s not,” he added. “We need to get out of the bunker. I think there’s a bunker perception in agriculture.”

Nevertheless, the challenges are real. Farmers make a small voting bloc, and lawmakers from traditional farm states can no longer be relied upon for pro-agriculture votes.

“We kinda gotta stop thinking about the old ways and start thinking about the new ways,” Ade Stevens advised. She said groups that support agriculture must work to expand their political coalitions. “Most of our Indiana delegation will not give their full support for ethanol,” Ade Stevens added. “Why? Because many of them are part of the Tea Party; and they don’t want to be associated with ethanol.

“It’s important that we build partnerships with non-farm groups in (Indiana) and in (Washington), D.C.”

Doggett concurred. “We’re going to have to have more friends,” he said.

On issues such as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which would mandate the amount of U.S. ethanol gallons produced, Doggett said he doesn’t have supporting votes from farm-state Republicans. “I have the Democrats,” he explained. “(U.S. Rep.) Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will promise the RFS right now. But I don’t have the votes from Indiana’s Republicans.”

Engage local politics, too

Bartholomew County, Ind. farmer Bill Gelfius told Forum attendees about his efforts to add large confined-feeding hog barns to his property. Gelfius said he had prepared all the necessary paperwork, but he failed to prepare for a vocal opposition during a public County Commissioners’ meeting.

“We didn’t grease the skids before the meeting,” Gelfius admitted. “What I mean by that is that we didn’t do enough to educate the commissioners, and we didn’t do enough to educate the public about what we were going to do.”

Indiana Farm Bureau Livestock Director Greg Slipher said farmers have resources that can help producers prepare for these meetings, but often they wait too late before seeking that assistance.

“How many people at that meeting knew your name, who supported your efforts,” Slipher asked Gelfius. “There certainly were not as many as the 70 people who represented the opposition. In meetings like that, numbers matter.”

ISA Livestock Director Andy Tauer said farmers should seek advice from checkoff groups, Farm Bureau or other “farmer-friendly” groups when controversial rules are being debated. “Guys, you’ve got to be our eyes and ears,” he said. “We can help you, but we need to know about it.”

Gelfius added, “The real challenge is finding someone you can trust who is on your side. The opposition here isn’t only against livestock producers. They’ve got an agenda here, and they’re going to go after it. They are very well organized, and they will come after you.”