Farm Bureau President visits county

By Alice Wadley Staff writer

Farm Bureau president Zippy Duval visited Emery County on June 16. Farm Bureau members and others met at Miller’s Landing for a lunch and informational meeting. Joel Hatch welcomed everyone and introduced Ron Gibson the Utah Farm Bureau president. Gibson said, he was given a tour of Gentry Mountain and we care about the issues here. We also had a tour of the Cedar City area. We have seen the devastation of the wild horses. I have been the Utah president for approximately seven months and I am honored to be the president. I take this responsibility seriously.
Our number one goal is to help people in Utah and our nation to understand farmers. We have great diversity. The people on the Wasatch Front don’t understand. We want to help people understand our issues. Go to your county Farm Bureau and get involved. We have helped a local rancher with his battle against the US Forest Service. We have seen a lot of growth and it says a lot to me that Zippy has come out to see us and to understand the issues we face.
Duval introduced himself. He grew up on a dairy farm in Georgia. He and his wife Bonnie have four children. I have been raising chicken and beef for over 30 years. All of my chickens are sold to Chick-Fil-A®. It was a great experience running for Farm Bureau president. I visited 29 states. I said if I was made president, I would travel the country and see people. I feel like God has led me this way.
The issues you face are different than others. I’ve seen the issues of the wild horses, prairie dogs and rangeland. The farther you get away from Washington DC people know less. We have some of some of the best staff to lobby for you on a national level. There are 19 people representing you. While you are at home working, we represent you. You are the strength of the organization. I have been invited to speak when a bill goes out concerning farming. You need to respond when these bills go out. If you don’t send an e-mail or call your voice is not heard. We need people to respond.
We have spent a lot of time on food safety. People want to know about where their food is grown and they want to meet the farmers.
I want you to be proud of your Farm Bureau. We are honored to represent you each day. We touch so many lives each day because it’s a grass roots organization. I received a call from former presidential candidate Ben Carson to congratulate me on my selection as Farm Bureau president. Donald Trump also called me. We talked about agriculture. I am not campaigning for anyone, but Trump and Carson called and spoke to me about agriculture. I will have the opportunity to meet with Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump’s transition team when one is elected president.
God has given us the privilege and honor to take care of the animals and land. Farming reminds me of the good Samaritan in the book of Luke. The good Samaritan sowed a seed and changed a life. Every time I sow seeds, I think about the good Samaritan. We sow seeds every day. Some take root and some don’t. If there’s anything worth doing it’s a sacrifice.
The audience was allowed to ask questions. The first question concerned the possibility of the Bears Ears monument in Utah. Duval said, he just learned about the Bears Ears monument. We will go home and learn more about that and see what we can do to restrain that power. I see your problems with the wild horses. On my tour near Cedar City we saw 100 horses in a one mile area. The horses were in poor shape. There is a lawsuit held up in the courts right now. We were at the door steps of the Supreme Court until Justice Scalia died. We have full-time attorneys on our staff. When I go across the country I hear about the farm labor problems and the over regulation of the government. There are things you can do to prevent over regulation.
Gibson responded, sometimes we feel frustrated in Utah. The problem is we need to change our strategy. We don’t know what delegation we will have after the election.
Another public comment was about the dredging of Millsite Reservoir. It has taken three years to dredge a reservoir. We dredged 7-10 days. There is too much regulation. We have had to deal with the Army Corp of Engineers to do this. The American people don’t need more regulation.
Gibson said, I notice there is a lot of land and little water. We don’t want to be like California. We will work on the state level to help with this we will get the state on board.
Duval said, we think clean water and clean air advocates are attacking our rights. There are companies who advocate the humane treatment of animals such as McDonalds® and Walmart®. We have bought enough stock in those companies to get into the board room and it’s paying off big dividends. People don’t trust science when it comes to food. We need to change public opinion about GMOs. The GMO labeling bill doesn’t have anything to do with your food. If it passes they will take another inch.
Gibson said, one of the things that’s a weakness is to think the Farm Bureau will do it for you. We need to change peoples minds. We will work on events at a state level. We need you to organize local events and start talking to your own people about subjects like GMOs. People are always talking about how bad GMOs are. We need to tell them about what they are and how they are good.
The final question concerned the farm labor laws and how it effects those who hire farm labor. It greatly affects the sheep industry in the area because they hire sheep herders from out of the country. Duval responded, I was in upstate New York. They told me there are many immigration officers harassing the farmers and their hired laborers. It costs more for an H-2A Visa now. There are many problems with the system. You can apply for a H-2A Visa online, but if there is a mistake on the visa you must correct it by mail. We are working to fix it so you can apply and fix mistakes online. We are very aware of the labor issues and we watch the labor rates. We just want the rules to be simple. We know there are immigrants who have been working on family farms for years. They are part of our families. We are trying to fix our immigration laws and allow them to stay. Duval thanked everyone for their hospitality and allowing him to speak.
Gibson said, we went to the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune and spoke to their editorial teams. We talked about similar things as we did with you today. I was asked what do you see for the future? I said, the thing we have going for us is we have heart. We will survive. We will find a way to make it work. Farm Bureau will help us to be successful. If you are a member thank you. If not we encourage you to join. The cost is $65 a year. We need more members.