| Show local slate national cattle asins provide strong voica for industry by bf wm F farnsworth uintah county agriculture agent the trend over the past three decades indicates that in the future you will have more government influence in aarl agriculture culture not lessi less this thia to is a real reason ranch ers era need to belong to local and national stock mens a organizations some one must speak strangely stron gely enough to kt the needs of the livestock in austry be known on the national level there are four major forces exert ing pressures which help determine the government nt poll cies and programs for agri culture these forces are 1 the political of this country 2 the economic systems of this country 3 public administration of laws enacted by congress 4 special interest depre sen fent atlon tation to influence legisla tion lion first the political system two major political parties exert influence to nominate nomina td and elect congress and the president and affect executive appointments there is a separation of powers listed in the Cona titu tion that places limitations on just how far the executive legislative and judicial depart ments of government may go to influence and regulate the affairs of the country there are also committee organizations in congress the agricultural committee for example where the real law making work takes place committees can hold on to bills introduced into congress and often prevent them from ever reaching the voting stage As an individual mr stock mark man your only opportunity to control or exert influence in this system is at the voting booth your vote is important but by itself it is no more important than any other vote second the economic tern tem the economic system of the country provides opportunity for or transfer of resources ownership of private property and hence economic powers of large corporations whose influence is felt dally daily in the halls ot of congress can you alone cope with powers such as the steel companies and similar organizations third public Adminis tra tion congress usually passes general laws and turns the ad ministration of such laws to various agencies who put them into action the ag agen en cles cies then develop areas of which the normal individual power on his own can not cope with for example one ranchers protest against graz ing cuts goes unheard but get a whole state organization aroused and then not only the regional supervisors but the entire agency including the secretary of agriculture and your congressmen hear about it four special interest this last item called special in terest representation is of ten referred to as the loony lobby practically every specially in te rested group from civil war veterans to the descendants ts of the mayflower have hav e a tel telephone telephore ie and office space in washington D C their purpose Is to exert a force that will influence congressmen in their thinking and voting such farm organizations as the national Catt lemens As the na national dional wool farm bureau farm growers ers union and grange etc all have official representation composed of man who know their way around in that leg wilderness which so 0 o confuses the average citizen much more could be writ ten on each of these four forces that influence governmental policies since space pace Is limited here just remember that in numbers there Is strength in all likelihood the cattlemen mens association can get along without you but can you get without the As aar so Boci clation atton the aid and support such as association can offer you can you on your own do much to influence policies and programs these four forces just dis cussed are too big to permit a single rancher to wield much influence but butan an tion empowered by an active participating membership can speak officially and get results congressmen are anai ous to hear bear delegates from re organizations with official status the same congressman may bo be too busy to hear the some same problem if it cornea comes from just one rancher why then should cattlemen join an industry bation on a local state and na dional basis because the corn coin plex forces of 0 government are arc going to produce more policies that will influence and perhaps eveh control the industry with only y a very small seg ment of the national bioti actively engaged in producing beef it becomes dlf dif ficula to influence policy however let every beet beef producer in the country unite then a voice will be heard and a common bond of interest exerting influence on policy making to the best inter eat of all |
