8
Ohio Farmer ■ April 2006
Opinion & Mailbox
Lead dog pulls for farmers
Our Say
R
EP. John Boehner, R-West Chester,
was chosen majority leader for
the U.S. House of Representatives
Feb 2. He admits he pressed hard for the
job. “It’s like being on a sled dog team,”
he joked with those attending his 15th
annual Farm Forum. “If you aren’t the
lead dog, then the view really never
changes.”
The remark is typical of the handsome, well-tanned, 5 handicapper. If
Boehner comes off as little glib at times,
it might be attributed to growing up with
11 brothers and sisters in southwestern
Ohio. Or maybe it’s the influence of a
career that began in sales for Nucite, a
small company that handled packaging
and plastics.
Or maybe it is just the confidence that
comes from 24 years of public service;
he began as a Union Township trustee
and had a stint at the Ohio House of
Representatives. Then, he served the
Eighth District for 15 years.
“John Boehner has a tremendous
understanding of agriculture,” says
Chuck Conner, USDA deputy secretary.
“To have him as the majority leader is
very important because he can bring together all of the different interests and
bring a consensus to difficult issues.”
In reply, Boehner assures his ag constituency that he will not forsake them.
“Don’t worry. I am going to keep my eye
on agriculture.”
Share your thoughts
W
E want to hear from you! E-mail
[email protected], or
write to Ohio Farmer Letters, 117 W.
Main St., Suite 202, Lancaster, OH
43130.
All letters must include your name,
address and telephone number for
verification purposes. Please limit your
comments to 300 words or less.
As if for proof, Boehner told county
presidents of the Ohio Farm Bureau
Federation lobbying in Washington last
month that he did not agree with their
proposal to hold the line on the current
farm bill until the Doha trade discussions of the World Trade Organization
are worked out. “We could wait for Doha
until hell freezes over,” Boehner said.
“There is no sense letting Doha write
our farm bill.”
Influence beyond home
Some in the OFBF group complained
that Boehner did not spend as much
time with them as he has in the past.
Good thing he didn’t. While it’s great
that Boehner understands his home district includes some of the nation’s best
farmland, right now his job extends
far beyond the home fields. There are
25 congressional committees. Energy,
trade, taxes, labor and conservation
fall into the oversight of those other
committees as much or more than the
ag committee. Boehner is in a position
to goad those committees into action
— not just for the good of farmers, but
for the betterment of all Americans.
Fellow committee member Collin
Peterson, D-Minn., testified that Boehner
has worked in a bipartisan way to move
ag policy. “John will be a good majority
leader. You in Ohio are lucky.”
This is John Boehner’s moment in
history. His predecessor, Tom DeLay, left
under the shadow of scandal. Boehner
has a chance to do us all proud and step
forward with wise bipartisan leadership. We should not hesitate to use the
whip and make sure the lead dog pulls
the sled where we want it to go.
Conservation Farmer call
We are looking for candidates for the
Ohio Conservation Farm Family Award.
Contact your local Soil and Water
Conservation District or go to www.
ohiofarmer.com for an application.
Those applications need to be sent to
the Ohio Farmer, Suite 202, 117 West
Main St., Lancaster, OH by May 1.
Just a click away
At NAPA, we have over 310,000 parts. Parts that are built to stand up to the tough demands of your
ag business. And from heavy-duty batteries to tools to filters and fluids, if it carries the NAPA name,
you know it not only meets the manufacturer’s specs it often exceeds them. It’s no wonder that people
who count on their parts count on NAPA.
We offer one-click shopping for all of the Web
sites that are mentioned
in Ohio Farmer stories at
www.ohiofarmer.com. That way, you
don’t have to type in the addresses; just click
and learn more about the topic. We also have
a farm calendar of events and breaking news
stories on the national and local level. Check
it out!
800 • LET• NAPA / www.NAPAonline.com
Tim White,
editor
twhite@
farmprogress.com