Illinois Ag Leadership Program Completes Week-Long Seminar in Washington DC Sponsored by Monsanto
March 16, 2011
The Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program (IALP) Class of 2012 participants traveled to Washington, DC for a five-day seminar on national policy. The seminar included presentations by 53 speakers at nine federal agencies and by ten agricultural associations and industry representatives.
Over a two-year period the group is attending 14 seminars covering current social, political and economic issues in the agriculture industry. In the nation’s capital, participants visited the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Federal Trade Commission/Department of Justice, the Farm Credit Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Pentagon/Defense Department and the Department of Agriculture. Participants visited the US Capitol, watching the Senate in session, and toured the White House.
Presentations were also given by representatives of the People’s Republic of China and the US Ambassador from New Zealand at their respective embassies. Two former Secretaries of Agriculture spoke with participants, and the group met with Congressman John Shimkus (19th District) in a one-on-one session.
“Several graduates of our leadership program are actively engaged in policy-making in Washington, DC,” said Joyce Watson, IALF President. “Our national travel seminar is a vital part of the learning experience for participants.”
The “National Travel Seminar” is sponsored by Monsanto. Associations and industry representatives who made presentations to the Class of 2012 in Washington, DC include Monsanto, Case IH, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, CropLife America, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the Animal Agriculture Alliance and the Humane Society of the United States.
The Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation was founded in 1981 and is based in Macomb, Ill. It is a non-profit educational corporation under Illinois law. A board of directors, comprised of recognized leaders in agriculture and business, oversees the program. Candidates for the leadership program are selected during a competitive application process. Men and women 25 to 49 years of age working full- in production agriculture or agri-related occupations are encouraged to apply. More information is available at www.agleadership.org.
March 11, 2011 Last Day in Washington DC
March 11, 2011
We started our last day in DC with Paul Shapiro, Senior Director, End factory farming campaign, Humane Society of the United States. This presentation energized the room as you might well imagine. Paul explained that the HSUS has a goal to reduce animal suffering. He feels there is common ground in most occasions.
We heard from Kathleen Butts, Executive Director for Legislative Affairs, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Sarah Hubbart, Animal Agriculture Alliance and Audrey Adamson, National Pork Producers Council. They explained their positions from the Industry perspective. This was very informative. They all explained their objectives and encouraged us to become agricultural activists.
The mission statement for IALF is to develop spokespersons and leaders for the agricultural arena. The class of 2012 definitely has the potential to accomplish the mission statement. As in the past classes, our class will definitely make a footprint in agriculture and how the world perceives it.
Thank you to all of our sponsors and donors that make all of this possible. The public will definitely have a better understanding of what agriculture is by the end of 2012.
Day 5 of the Class of 2012 National Travel Seminar
March 10, 2011
Our final full day in DC started out with a burst- of rain that is.
Despite the damp weather, the coffee and dough nuts were hot at a
constituent breakfast with Senators Durbin and Kirk. They discussed
housing foreclosure rates, the federal budget situation, business
regulation and locks and dams along the Mississippi River. Breakfast was
followed by a capitol and Senate gallery tour conducted by the staff of
Congressman Aaron Schock.
Next, we traveled to the USDA for lunch in the Secretary’s Dining Room.
Hubert Hamer, Chair of the Agriculture Statistic Board, spoke during lunch
about the agriculture statistic collection program. We also met with
Michael Scuse, Acting Under Security for Farm and Foreign Agricultural
Services; Dr. Skip Hyberg, Agricultural Economist for FSA; and Christine
Turner with the Foreign Agricultural Service. Mr. Scuse spoke briefly
about a projected agricultural trade surplus of 47.4 billion dollars next
year. Dr. Hyberg spoke about the Conservation Reserve Program, which has
34.6 million acres enrolled, including two million acres a piece
in wetlands and buffers. Christine Turner, a Senior Advisor with the
Foreign Agricultural Service talked about USDA’s 150 foreign trade offices
around the world in 90 countries and those representatives serve as
agriculture’s lobbyists and spokespeople on the issue of trade.
IALP graduate (’06) and Deputy Administrator for Insurance Services
Michael Alston spoke to the group about RMA and crop insurance issues.
Mr. Alston also discussed the importance of leaders in agriculture working
in the nation’s capital.
Our afternoon at the USDA ended with a presentation by Dr. Sarahelen
(“Sally”) Thompson, Director of Market and Trade Economics Division. Dr.
Thompson spoke about a projected export high of 135 billion dollars, due
in part to worldwide economic growth and Chinese demand for US ag
products.
Congressman John Shimkus meets with IALP class members in a conference room at the Rayburn office building
Our final visit was with Congressman John Shimkas (R- 19, IL) who spokecandidly about the political atmosphere in DC and the county’s budget
deficit.
We want to thank not only Monsanto for sponsoring out National Travel
Seminar but also all of our speakers!
