Last month, I spent a sobering day meeting with the three national associations — the Agricultural Retailers Association, CropLife America, and The Fertilizer Institute — to talk about agriculture in the Beltway. What are the big issues? What should we be watching out for?
What I got was a pretty somber assessment of where things were going, from the potential impact of carbon cap and trade to the rising preeminence of “social justice” — the idea that all success comes with a responsibility to give back to society at some level. Of course the concept of giving back is nothing new, but it would appear that those not willing to voluntarily engage in social justice practices will have it visited upon them through legislation and regulation.
Then again, regulating social justice is not a new concept either — it has ebbed and flowed with the coming and going political and social issues of the times. But the pendulum, which had swung so severely (and held firm) in one direction for several years is succumbing to the gravity of today’s political and social climate, swinging swiftly past the middle and back toward the other side.
In watching this occur, some questions come to mind. First and foremost, is there anything we can do about this blasted pendulum as it will affect agriculture? Given the tenor of the times, it would seem the pendulum’s momentum is simply too much to overcome. However, I think there are some things we can do to demonstrate our commitment to society, sustainability, stewardship, and all the other issues that social justice hangs from — in other words mitigate the effect of the pendulum’s dramatic swing.
Let’s face it — the folks who have gotten a new lease on life in Washington through a new administration had been rendered relatively powerless to make significant change for nearly a decade. They are coming back with a vengeance. And during this same time frame, we may have allowed ourselves to get a bit “flabby” when it comes to talking about the issues that affect us. Our organizations, working with the leaders among our rank and file, have done a solid job of keeping our interests at the forefront at the state capitals and in the Beltway. Now, with the pendulum in full motion, none of us can sit back and relax. It’s time to climb into the ring.
The fantastic thing is, there are so many ways that retailers, and agriculture as a whole, have moved forward and improved over the past decade and beyond. We grow crops using less overall inputs. As we’ll demonstrate in the July issue of CropLife®, retailers continue to make year-over-year improvements to their facilities to ensure products are stored and transported safely and responsible way. From my perspective, we come in from a real position of strength. There’s no reason to hide — we can be proud of our accomplishments! Oh, and by the way, we do feed, clothe, and fuel ourselves and offer our bounty to the world.
No, we can’t stop the pendulum. But we can manage its impact through continual improvement in the way we do business, and sharing our stories and commitment with our elected representatives at the state and national level. They need to meet the real people and families that are driving U.S. agriculture toward a positive and sustainable future.
