High Plains farmers and ranchers have many planning activities, but one item on their list should be to continue dialogue with elected officials.
After the holidays, many governmental entities have returned to regular schedules. In the case of the Kansas Legislature—and in many other states—sessions are underway.
The issues are many. Elected officials and administrators are aware of them—property taxes, private property rights, data centers, economic growth, rural health, and regulatory matters—all are in the headlines.
We encourage continued dialogue to enable reasonable decisions.
There can be a time when the phrase “you can’t beat city hall” is easy to say, but the reality is city hall has people who care.
Listening is an important trait for both sides as the best policies are the result of give-and-take and understanding a challenge is a two-way process.
We have recently seen that happen with the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. A related story appears on our website.
Whole milk and 2% milk were removed from school lunch menu during the Obama administration, but that has changed as result of fact-gathering and grassroots conversations. It started with dairy farmers that worked its way through local, state and federal levels—eventually reaching the halls of Congress. Republicans and Democrats—both urban and rural—saw the merit of putting whole and 2% milk back on the menu and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking action.
It also took time—more than 10 years—so it is a tribute to patience, too, which is in short supply today.
We commend the elected officials who point out that input from farmers and ranchers and constituents in rural communities are a must for them to be able to pursue policies that can work. The good news—that process works.
At the local level, school boards, city councils and county commissions all have regular meeting times patrons need to be engaged. We would encourage those who want to address those entities to visit with administrators first so they can effectively address the boards.
In Kansas, many state legislators, in concert with local media, chambers of commerce and other entities, plan Saturday coffees designed to get input. As for federal lawmakers, start by reaching out to their constituent service offices and let them know your concern.
At one recent meeting, it was noted that a personal phone call, or letter still has an impact. If the matter is important to you— reach out.
Good governance, as we learned as children, is not always easy. It can be messy, tedious and time-consuming, but good ideas can still win. The best approach remains the oft-repeated phrase “We can agree to disagree, but we don’t need to be disagreeable.”
We have a duty to keep that in mind as we also prepare future generations for leadership.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
