By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Farm Bureau is gearing up for its 89th annual meeting to take place Dec. 2-5 in Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place.
It will tackle topics such as climate change, wildlife management, animal care and dozens of other issues as it forms and adopts its policy positions. The resolutions adopted at this meeting will direct the Farm Bureau’s actions in 2009. The meeting will involve farmers from Michigan’s 67 county Farm Bureaus who will serve as voting delegates.
Resolutions that are adopted that relate to national issues will be forwarded to the national organization for consideration at its meeting in January 2009.
For the first time in its history, the Farm Bureau will consider climate change as an issue. Climate change is a term that’s often used to describe the theory that human actions are responsible for an increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere.
According to the Farm Bureau, there is a lot of conflicting scientific evidence regarding this phenomenon, but it acknowledges that there is much going on at the policy level regarding greenhouse gas emissions. It believes agriculture needs to “be at the table” as policies are formulated.
The state resolution includes a statement supporting a voluntary, market-based carbon credit trading system. It also supports recognition of forests and farmland as carbon mitigators and the compensation of farmers for planting crops and other practices that help keep carbon in the soil.
The resolution opposes carbon taxes and cap-and-trade policies. It also opposes any rules to regulate emissions from animals and any emissions regulations for farming practices. The state Farm Bureau is also going to consider a slight change in the national policy regarding climate change.
On wildlife management, the Farm Bureau supports the ban on deer feeding and baiting. It says in its announcement of the annual meeting that most of the county Farm Bureaus support the ban, all the while acknowledging that the public is divided over the issue.
It supports the eradication of feral swine, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ efforts to de-list the gray wolf from the endangered species list in Michigan and supports a continued expansion of the hunting season and bag limits for geese and turkey.
On animal care, the Farm Bureau’s members are worried that state ballot initiatives that “control modern livestock production and management practices” will infringe on farmers’ operations.
Delegates will consider amending the Farm Bureau’s policy on animal care to oppose the use of ballot initiatives for this purpose, and support making the Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) regarding animal welfare the legal standard in Michigan. It also supports having farmer representation on the relevant GAAMPS committee.
The Farm Bureau also wants what it calls a “sensible approach” to the substantiation of animal abuse accusations, including a required opinion from a large animal veterinarian and a requirement that the pertinent governing body be held liable for damages when “inaccurate accusations and unjustified actions” are taken against a livestock farmer by the government.
Other topics for the annual meeting include nonpoint source pollution, bovine tuberculosis, biomass and renewable products and guest workers.
For more on the upcoming meeting, go to www.michfb.com/annual/index |
