An informal survey of participants at the Oklahoma City Farm Show (April 15-17) and the Oklahoma FFA Convention (April 27-28) revealed most are concerned about too much government involvement in agriculture. The survey was conducted when participants visited the Farm Bureau booth during the events.
The survey was composed of three questions: What are the critical farm issues today?; Are you doing anything different on your farm this spring?; and What is the biggest challenge for your business today?
Almost half of all farm show participants surveyed said they are concerned about too much government control .
“Everything from the government health care plan to energy costs to environmental regulations, is causing a strain on the family farm,” said Glen Patterson of Keota.
The high cost of inputs also drew a large percentage of responses.
“The biggest challenge to my farm today is rising fuel costs,” said John Pfeiffer of Mulhall.
At the FFA convention, 47 percent said they are concerned about government regulations and the prospect of higher taxes. Also drawing attention were animal welfare, public misunderstanding of agriculture and the availability of land for young farmers.
“The biggest challenge is an uninformed public about agriculture,” said Chacey Schoeppel, Fairview FFA. “They (public) don’t understand the link between the producer and the consumer.”
“The surprising solidarity between the young FFA leaders and the older agriculturalists indicates to me the kids are paying attention when their parents discuss the issues,” said Thad Doye, OFB Vice President of Membership Services. Doye helped coordinate the survey and noted the ease in attracting survey participants.
“They were more than willing to share their thoughts,” Doye said.
