COMMENTARY
Senate vote sends strong message supporting farmer cooperatives
Editor’s note: This guest commentary was
contributed by Jean-Mari Peltier, president
and CEO of the National Council of Farmer
Cooperatives, a national association
representing America’s farmer cooperatives.
All cooperatives should be applauding
the U.S. Senate’s recent passage of a
resolution (S. Con. Res. 119) supporting
the right of America’s 2 million farmers
and ranchers to join together to form
cooperatives which ensure farmer
ownership in the food and agriculture
distribution chain. This Senate action is a
strong vote for farmers controlling their
financial futures. It should be especially
noted that the Senate resolution also emphasizes the role of
farmers and cooperatives in helping to meet the nation’s
energy needs.
As consolidation occurs elsewhere in the U.S. economy,
anti-farmer interests may seek to weaken the structure of
agricultural cooperatives through administrative or legislative
means. Senate passage of this measure is a strong message in
opposition to any such action.
Deserving special appreciation for introducing this
resolution and ensuring that it received strong, bipartisan
support are the co-chairs of the Congressional Farmer
Cooperative Caucus: Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas
and Senator Larry Craig of Idaho. In the Senate Agriculture
Committee, Senators Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Tom
Harkin of Iowa also provided strong support.
Farmer cooperatives offer the best opportunity for America
to realize the farmer-focused ideal of an enduring, competitive
agricultural policy.
Farmer cooperatives help farmers and ranchers improve
their income from the marketplace; meet our nation’s food,
fiber, feed and fuel needs; and spur economic growth across
rural America. In passing this resolution, the United States
Senate has reaffirmed that cooperatives are more important
than ever in today’s agricultural economy. Even so, farmers
must continue in their efforts to educate key policy makers on
the history and importance of farmer cooperatives.
I’ll use my remaining space to allow the Senate Resolution
to speak for itself with the following excerpt. You can read the
complete resolution at:
www.http://tinyurl.com/2qruxj. I urge coops
to consider reprinting it in their
publications or posting it on their Web
sites.
“…Whereas farmer- and rancherowned
cooperatives play an important role in
helping farmers and ranchers improve their
income from the marketplace, manage their
risk, meet their credit and other input needs
and compete more effectively in a rapidly
changing global economy;
Whereas farmer- and rancher-owned
cooperatives also play an important role in
providing consumers in the United States and
abroad with a dependable supply of safe, affordable, high-quality
food, fiber and related products;
Whereas farmer- and rancher-owned cooperatives also help meet
the energy needs of the United States, including through the
production and marketing of renewable fuels such as ethanol and
biodiesel;
Whereas there are nearly 3,000 farmer- and rancher-owned
cooperatives located throughout the United States with a combined
membership representing a majority of the nearly 2 million farmers
and ranchers; and
Whereas farmer- and rancher-owned cooperatives also contribute
significantly to the economic well-being of rural America, as well as
the overall economy, including accounting for as many as 250,000
jobs;
Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of
Representatives concurring), that it is the Sense of the Congress that
public policy should continue to protect and strengthen the ability of
farmers and ranchers to join together in cooperative self-help efforts:
- to improve their income from the marketplace and their
economic well-being;
- to capitalize on new market opportunities; and
- to help meet the food and fiber needs of consumers, provide for
increased energy production, promote rural development, maintain
and create needed jobs, and contribute to a growing United States
economy.”
Jean-Mari Peltier, President
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
