Farm Bill Priorities & Organizing
"The next Farm Bill needs to support to local foods, address inequalities in farm programs, and maintain a strong nutrition title to support food security in our communities," said Nick Levendofsky, the keynote speaker to the Food and Farm Caucus meeting at Washington Days.
Levendofsky is the Executive Director of the Kansas Farmers Union (KFU), a non-partisan association formed in 1907 that advocates for the economic interests and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities in Kansas.
Kansas Farmers Union Executive Director Nick Levendofsky (photo by KFU)
Levendofsky also said that the KFU supports Medicaid Expansion in order to preserve rural hospitals and critical care systems. Additional KFU policy priorities include right to repair for farm machinery and the equitable provision of crop insurance for all farm products, not just the major grain commodities.
KFU is concerned about the impact of monopolies on farm equity, such as concentrated market control exercised in meat packing and farm equipment.
KFU promotes local and regional food systems and supports more direct farm to school delivery systems for school lunch programs.
The Union works through a democratic process to identify and adopt policy positions and is part of the National Farmers Union network.
Levendofsky's remarks were just one part of the fast-paced Food and Farm Caucus meeting held Saturday morning, March 16th, 2024, at the Hotel Topeka as part the program for Washington Days, the annual spring meeting of the Kansas Democratic Party.
The Food and Farm Caucus is the issue-based caucus within the Kansas Democratic Party for policies related to farm and ranch producers, food consumers, and workers within the food and farm sectors. The Caucus also take an obvious interest in all issues related to rural and small-town prosperity and quality of life in Kansas.
Caucus Chair Bill H called the Caucus to order to hear about organizing and initiatives in 2024.
The second speaker was Mark Schaukowitch to discuss the Big First Special Report released this spring. The report analyzes policy priorities, data collection, and campaign management tips with a focus on winning election in the large and diverse Kansas First Congressional District.
Senator Marci Francisco (D-Lawrence) and Rep. Sydney Carlin (D-Manhattan) gave updates on the still-frustrating legislative session. They reported that some of their GOP colleagues don't just criticize progressive policies, but question the very role of government in the food and farm system - some who claim that "It is not the government's job to feed people."
The Caucus also heard about a new initiative, the HarvestBlue website, which the Caucus executive board authorized as a special outreach project. The idea of the website is to provide partner Caucus and County Parties with an accessible web presence under a cooperative banner.
The Caucus will act as the admininstrator of the site and intends to fundraise to covers costs, but the service itself is intended to be free of charge to members. The Caucus will also be recruiting volunteers to assist in keeping up with website content. As of the date of the Caucus meeting, seven sites were active and several more requesting.
The Caucus is also recruiting members to get involved in outreach activities through both a Programs Planning Committee as well as by identifying County Ambassadors. Members were invited to sign up or contact the Caucus officers for more information.
Candidates for various public offices visited the Caucus and made their pitch for consideration, including Esau Freeman and Paul Buskirk for US Congressional Districts 4 and 1 (respectively).
As a new treat this year, a Land of Kansas Gift Box "Konza" was offered as a door prize.
A note of appreciation was also shared for Lee Cross of the Cross Law Firm who sponsored a hospitality table on the Caucus's behalf at the Friday evening social. Lee resurrected the tradition of serving "Tumbleweeds" - a delicious ice cream cocktail - a tradition that began decades ago with a Johnson County dairy farmer.