| Rural Updates! 7/27/00 ************************************************************************** 1. FARM BUREAU LEADERS REGRET "60 MINUTES" 2. "DOLLAR HARVEST" ORDERING INFORMATION 3. KANSAS FARM BUREAU - OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENT? 4. NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN ON ************************************************************************** 1. FARM BUREAU LEADERS REGRET "60 MINUTES" The July 17th issue of PRWeek magazine featured an article on CBS’s popular investigative documentary series "60 Minutes." In part, the story states, "For some, like Joe Fields, who is PR director at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF)], getting involved with "60 Minutes" was a decision he regrets. In April, the program covered a story about the Iowa branch of the AFBF, which was criticized by family farmers for being in the pockets of big agribusiness companies..." "Doing the interview was more damaging, that's my take," said Fields, who didn’t clarify what may have been less damaging than "doing the interview." 2. DOLLAR HARVEST - AN EXPOSE OF THE FARM BUREAUDollar Harvest - an expose of the American Farm Bureau has been called the definitive work on the Farm Bureau's elusive insurance and business structure, tax breaks and agri-business connections. It was written by Samuel (Sandy) Berger, now chief security advisor for President Clinton. In this 1971 book Berger chronicles a congressional investigation into the Farm Bureau that was undertaken over thirty years ago. As one reader commented, "Not much has changed in that time, except Farm Bureau’s money and power has grown" This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the Farm Bureau. "The Farm Bureau is far more than simply an organization of farmers, as it so often claims. The nations biggest farm organization has been quietly and systematically amassing one of the largest business networks in America, while turning its back on the deepening crisis of the farmers whom it supposedly represents." (Berger 1971) Copies can be obtained by sending $5.00 to MyndSeye - Agricultural Books. PO Box 171, The Plains, Virginia. 20198-0171. Add $4.00 shipping and handling for single book orders, $3.00 each for 2-5 books, $2.00 each for 6 - 10 books and $1.00 for more than ten books. For more information contact: paedc@aol.com.3. KANSAS FARM BUREAU - OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENT? In Kansas a bi-partisan team of state legislators calling themselves the "Small Farm Coalition" has been investigating the economic woes in family farm agriculture. Apparently the Kansas Farm Bureau, after failing to discredit the coalition as "inconsequential" began "blathering about getting the government out of farming," says Bob Hopper in the Hays Dailey News. (7/27/00) Hopper writes that when this also failed the Farm Bureau (and the Kansas Livestock Association) then "trotted out opposition candidates who call themselves "the real champions of the family farmer." Hopper ends the piece by saying, "Don'cha just know how they (KFB) hate government in agriculture -- so that's why they want to get their guys elected to government -- so they can see that government doesn't interfere. Got that, don'cha?" 4. NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN ONIf you, or your group has not yet signed onto the call for a congressional investigation into the leadership of the American Farm Bureau Federation, you may do so on the web at: http://www.defenders.org/rural3.html. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scotty Johnson If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this list, send a reply to: sjohnson@albq.defenders.org
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