One hundred thirteen Farm Bureau members and invitees filled the American Legion Hall on Thursday night to hold their annual dinner, hosted by Grant County Farm Bureau, and to learn about recent legislation that could affect their futures. The meal was beef, and John York, president of Grant County Farm Bureau, led the meeting.

Susan Sumrall, agent of the Silver City branch, managed the affair with the help of Judy O'Loughlin and six area 4-H members who both served the food and demonstrated a fast-paced example of a meeting using a variety of parliamentary procedures, which had recently won at state. The 4-H teens were earning extra money to go to Denver for the national contest.

As part of the American Legion opening ceremonies, Chuck Wenzel, Deputy of New Mexico Vice Command and Gil Choquette, Adjutant of Post 18, asked all present to remember the troops who had not come home: those missing in action and prisoners of war. Ray Davis, commander of Post 18, read the memorial. A symbolic place setting and lighted candle were set for the heroes still unaccounted for.

Drew Dix, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for his action in Vietnam, spoke of the value of hard work, aimed especially at the youths, to make America great again. Supporting each other as a team and respecting the positions and efforts of those involved were all part of successful effort. Dix is from the Mimbres and works with community projects.

Traci Williams, of Quemado, a Farm Bureau "Ag in the Classroom" consultant to New Mexico schools, explained her work and encouraged those present to hold on to the family farm or ranch. In her case, the family farm no longer exists, but she has created and presented a visual presentation of the generational efforts of her family, back to a great-grandfather. Her father, Jim Williams, had the honor of being Farmer of the Year a few decades back. She noted that farms and ranches become fewer through the years and that it takes serious effort to keep them working and productive.

The featured speaker, Matt Rush, Las Cruces, is Executive Vice President of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau. Rush is remembered for his run for land commissioner in 2010. He lost by the narrowest margin of all races in the state.

Rush spoke on the need to know what is happening and watch the larger picture. His example was that of an FFA teen-ager at his first American Royal years ago. The high point for him was that the President was to be there the next afternoon, and he spoke of the mega-effort he made the next morning to be sure to get a good seat where George Herbert W. Bush was to speak; he would be in the same room with a ‘"sitting president." Going nearly seven hours early, passing up meals and personal comforts, he was first in line to enter the auditorium, but it unraveled. Six other team mates wound up with great seats at the front of the reserved section he hadn't been able to enter, as it was blocked off for "special guests." And he should have been there with them, but didn't know what arrangements had been made.

Rush's point was that we can go to remarkable lengths to do an important job, but unless we understand the larger context, we can fail miserably. He noted that people who work in agriculture give their all to meet daily demands, but many whose futures depend on ever-changing rules lack the insight to watch what is happening on both the national and state legislative scenes. "What we don't know can hurt us."

Some recent examples were of Agenda 21 efforts, or Sustainable Development, which stood to destroy rural land holders if the bills passed. One concerned an attempt to make driving on dirt roads a penalized offense" The dirt raised by any vehicle would be prohibited as damage to the environment.

Another "winning' effort is to prohibit any child under the age of 16 from having any contact with animals; horses, cattle, goats, chickens, rabbits, any animal at all. Farm children wouldn't be allowed to help with the work and 4-H and FFA efforts would be impossible. And animals weren't the end of it. Children under the age of 16 wouldn't be able to pick fruit from the trees at levels above six feet.

The comment period on this has been extended to November 1^st and those in the know say it is important to learn more about this one. Farming families have been exempted from child labor laws up to now, but a change like this could be major. Not many have heard about this ‘"shot from the Department of Labor." If this goes through, it will affect a large number of family farmers and ranchers. It is important to get the word out immediately and do something about it.

Rush said they were able to stop some of the nonsense in other instances, but this micro-management of agricultural work was continuing, and that citizens needed to be aware of the competition from those who understood nothing about the realities of production, but who would continue to write such laws and regulations anyway. Agricultural people had to be better informed and make stands before it was too late. Farm Bureau was watching closely but it took the efforts of all to keep abusive legislation down.

Also attending from Las Cruces was Benjie Segovia, Farm Bureau Federation Representative for the southwest quarter of the state. Segovia attends county meetings and keeps members informed of legislation that will affect them before it passes.

Although the Grant County Farm Bureau meets the fourth Thursday of the month, November and December meetings will not be held and the next meeting will be January 26, 2012. Meetings are at 10 a.m. in the Farm Bureau office on East 180. All members are urged to attend.

Margaret Hopper for Grant County Beat