Stopping anti-agriculture agendas

LOYAL, Wis. — When people interested in working with local agriculture were elected in Polk County’s Laketown Township, a livestock operational ordinance that had been put in place was rescinded. 

“Farmers got involved, agriculture got involved,” said Kim Bremmer, executive director of Venture Dairy Cooperative. “They flipped two seats on their town board, and this ordinance we had fought about for years was rescinded.”

Farmers face increasing pressure from well-organized anti-agriculture activists who frequently present themselves as a friendly, concerned citizenry. Bremmer encourages farmers to get involved as a way to take a stand against the constraints those groups wish to enact.

Bremmer, who resides in the Clark County village of Loyal, has been on the front lines, offering support to farmers in communities around the state where anti-agriculture groups have pushed to make operational ordinances hindering the right to farm and limiting growth of livestock operations.

“One of our best defenses is to make sure we have seats on the local governments,” Bremmer said. “There was a day when every town board and most county boards were made up of farmers, but that just isn’t the case anymore. Farmers are busy, and serving on those boards is a thankless job.”

When those seats are not filled by farmers, those with agendas differing from the agricultural community may fill those seats instead, Bremmer said.

“People who belong to anti-ag groups are the ones who are making the commitment and taking the time,” Bremmer said. “Their advocacy groups work really hard to fill those seats. We need a pretty concerted effort to get our butts back in those town and county board seats, because ultimately that is the only solution.”

Bremmer detailed tactics those with other agendas may use to gain control.

“They will bully board members and landowners — I can’t think of a different word to use,” Bremmer said. “It turns into constant phone calls and emails, negative press written in local newspapers, and personal attacks. We know they’re calling legislators consistently. They are very organized.”

The strategies the activist groups employ, although they appear to be well-intentioned, create rifts, even in tight-knit towns, Bremmer said.

“These groups come to your community and say they want to work with you on this, but in reality, they will divide your community,” Bremmer said. “You have to be wary of the way these organizations are using their desired outcome to create a problem.”

Bremmer said many of the activist groups are tied together behind the scenes, receiving legal help and funding from both in-state and out-of-state special interest groups.

Ordinances they try to pass typically supersede a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation issue, Bremmer said.

“Many of the ordinances don’t start at 1,000 animal units,” she said. “I’ve seen some written at 500. When you ask people in these meetings how many cows they think farms should have, you’ll oftentimes hear 25 or 50.”

Bremmer said she wants local boards to connect with their farmers to solve problems

“Farmers have a lot of the solutions, but you have to work with them,” Bremmer said. “There are all kinds of things farmers are doing that protect and benefit the environment and our infrastructure.”

Sharing the story of today’s agriculture is an important part of combating the negativity the activist groups rely on.

“There are fewer and fewer people farming and the average person is six generations removed from the farm,” Bremmer said. “We know fear is 11 times more effective at selling a point than facts and figures — it’s easy to make people fearful of something they don’t understand.”

Creating division in agriculture is another trademark of activist groups, Bremmer said.

“They want this to be a big versus small issue,” she said. “That’s really unfortunate, because we need all of agriculture, regardless of size or type of farm. That business decision should be up to the farmer, what works for them and their family. For some that means growth and for some it doesn’t .”

Staying aware of what is happening in your community is vital, Bremmer said.

“Realizing it early when these groups are organizing in your community is the first step to not giving them a platform,” Bremmer said. “Farmers do great things in our communities and in our world. We have to do everything we can to reshape the heroes and the villains in this story. We have to stop letting them frame us as villains.”