The VanDries Travel to Washington, D.C.

LEGISLATIVE WATCH
The VanDries
Travel to Washington, D.C.
BY SHAWN AND BETH VANDRIE
Traveling to the Nation’s capital for the National Milk Producers Federation
(NMPF) meeting was enlightening, rewarding and one of the most memorable
experiences of our lives. This year NMPF is celebrating their centennial!
They’ve had 100 years of improving the economic well-being of dairy co-ops and
their farmer owners along with assuring the nations consumers an adequate
supply of pure wholesome milk. They are passionate and dedicated to their
causes and skilled at promoting our agenda on Capitol Hill.
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MESSENGER | JULY 2016
We arrived in Washington D.C. on
Monday, June 6 and got right to
business. We attended the Young
Cooperator (YC) Advisory Council
meeting along with other YCs
representing many other states.
We worked together to plan and
organize the 2016 YC Leadership
and Development Program that will
take place in Nashville, Tennessee in
November. Together we developed a
list of topics and speakers that we felt
would be informative and interesting to
our peers in the upcoming meeting.
Next we met with the NMPF staff for
some background on the organization.
We were privileged to meet many of
the board members and hear about
the current topics they are challenged
with today and how they compare to
challenges the organization faced in
1916. Many areas that required the
formation of NMPF 100 years ago are
still issues we face today such as farm
labor, animal health and well-being, and
food safety regulations. Other topics are
new to our generation such as the MPP
program and the need for a national
biotechnology labeling system.
Monday ended with a tour of some of
the many historic sites in and around
Washington D.C. We were humbled by
the vast history that was represented on
the tour and inspired by the leaders that
have shaped our country in generations
past. Our favorite stop was the Jefferson
Memorial. A part of a quote written
on the wall of the memorial says “God
who gave us life gave us liberty, can the
liberties of a nation be secure when we
have removed a conviction that these
liberties are a gift from God? Indeed I
tremble for my country when I reflect
that God is just, that his justice cannot
sleep forever.”
Tuesday, June 7, started a little differently
for the YCs from Michigan. Six of us
from MMPA and other co-ops met with
Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. It
was an informal setting in the nation’s
agriculture office where we had the
opportunity to thank her for serving on
the Senate Agriculture Committee and all
the positive impact she has supporting
the Child Nutrition Program. We also
brought to her attention the importance
of having a national biotechnology
labeling legislation passed before the
Vermont Bill takes effect in July of 2016.
We returned to the meeting forum
excited for the next opportunity to
help lobby on behalf of our fellow
dairymen and women. After being
educated on the best ways to endorse
our legislation all of the YCs from
around the U.S. went up to Capitol
Hill to meet with their representatives.
We met with Congressman John
Moolenaar, staff from Congressman
Justin Amash and staff from Sen. Gary
Peter’s office. They were all welcoming
and well educated in the current issues
facing agriculture. We brought to their
attention our support of immediate
action to establish a federal label
disclosure system for foods produced
using biotechnology; our interest in
a successful Transatlantic-Trade and
Investment Partnership (TTIP); and our
continued investment in supporting
the reauthorization of Child Nutrition
programs.
ABOVE: YCS FROM MICHIGAN,
INCLUDING THE VANDRIES, SPOKE
WITH SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW,
RANKING MEMBER OF THE SENATE
AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE, ABOUT HER
ROLE IN AGRICULTURE POLICY AND
THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM.
OPPOSITE PAGE: SHAWN AND BETH
VANDRIE (CENTER AND LEFT) MET
WITH CONGRESSMAN MOOLENAAR
(RIGHT) DURING THE YC LEGISLATIVE
VISITS ON JUNE 7.
“We were blessed with
the opportunity to speak
on your behalf and to
provide input on legislation
that will shape our industry
for generations to come.”
Our trip to Washington gave us a
glimpse into the life of the NMPF. Their
constant support and dedication to
facing head-on the legislative issues
that are pressing on the dairy industry
today is reassuring that our voice is
being heard clearly on Capitol Hill. We
were blessed with the opportunity to
speak on your behalf and to provide
input on legislation that will shape our
industry for generations to come.
JULY 2016 | MESSENGER
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