SEMINAR 7:

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY

 by Roxanne Chepsongol

 

The United State Capitol is located at Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. where Class 15 had the pleasure to visit and develop an understanding of federal government policy. My primary goals for our trip to the Capitol were to recognize the process to establish policies, understand the roles of government staff and lobby groups, discover the history of Washington D.C and develop my communication skills to advocate for agriculture.

 

Our journey began with the Gettysburg leadership experience lead by Jeff McCausland and Tom Vossler, veterans and authors of the book Battle Tested!: Gettysburg Leadership Lessons for 21st Century. We spent the day working through specific scenarios that occurred during the battle at Gettysburg and how leaders today can learn from discussion made from that battle.

 

 

 

The second day Class 15 visited the “Voice of Agriculture”, the American Farm Bureau Federation where we granted with opportunities to develop our personal narratives to advocate for agriculture. The advocate training assisted us for the remainder of our visit at the Capitol since we met with think tanks, New Mexico Senators and Representatives and constituents. We put these advocacy skills to the test when Class 15 spoke with the think tank, Cato Institute, later that afternoon and New Mexico Senators and Representatives staff throughout the remainder of our time in Washington D.C.

 

 

 

 

One of the many highlights of the seminar was learning from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Senior Leadership Team Basil Gooden, Jewel Bronaugh, Sanah Baig, Xochitl Torres Small, Daniel Whitley, Robert Bonnie and Zach Ducheneaux. Their presentations emphasized the work it took to become leaders at the USDA and their experiences as a leader. Our time at the USDA inspired Class 15 to use our abilities to be positive influences and motivate others toward success.

 

The voice of U.S. cattlemen and women drives the advocacy group, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), whom we met with that afternoon.  The NCBA pointed out key items in the upcoming farm bill and what it means for the cattle industry. They touched on the recent aerial gunning of cattle in the Gila wilderness and the effects of the action.

 

The stunning architecture, art and history of the Capitol was revealed during the Capitol tour that next morning. Class 15 stood in the very places that monumental discussions were made that shaped the United States.

 

 

My favorite part of the visit came that afternoon when Class 15 had the pleasure to sit in on the Senate Ag Committee Meeting where USDA’s Secretary Tom Vilsack was questioned by Senators. This was the point of the trip that we recognized the complexity of government and the processes which establish agricultural policies. Secretary Vilsack demonstrated all his skills that we learned from advocacy/ media training earlier in the week. For example; he bridged negative remarks and questions to positive topics, delivered sound bites and was honest. It was neat to see this champion for agriculture in action.

 

Rural development and infrastructure are vital in all aspects of agriculture therefore Class 15 along with other leadership groups gained perspectives from the Army Corp of Engineers. The speaker gave the group insight about the challenges of infrastructure policy and administration changes.

 

The final visits of the trip included humbling experiences at the Holocaust museum and Arlington National Cemetery. These visits gave the class time to reflect on history and the price of freedom.   

 

 

 

 

Class 15 accomplished their goals of the seminar by recognizing the processes to establish policies, understand the roles of government staff and lobby groups, discovered the history of Washington D.C and developed communication skills to be a resilient advocate for agriculture.