CAPITOL CONNECTIONS Speaking up for cooperatives and owners G etting a policymaker’s attention takes persistence and a strong message — and that’s in a normal year. Add an election year, weather disasters, a global pandemic and a contentious Supreme Court nomination, and the result is background chatter off the charts and minuscule attention spans. Finding ways to work through that noise in Washington, D.C., and key state capitals, the CHS Government Affairs team continues to advocate for farmers, ranchers and cooperatives. “We experienced unprecedented disruption to our work and strategies,” says John Engelen, who leads the CHS Government Affairs team. “In what was already a difficult legislative environment given heightened partisan acrimony, we found ourselves contending with new challenges in the workplace and the Congressional policy agenda as lawmakers shifted their focus to crafting the rules and regulations that determined how companies like CHS could continue to operate during the pandemic.” Still, speaking up for agriculture has never been more important, Engelen adds. “Few Americans have connections to the farm or ranch now and the situations that affect agriculture are complex. As rural counties continue to lose population, we need to help policymakers understand the needs of the ag businesses that are critical to the U.S. economy and world food supply.” CHS Government Affairs team members Dan Mauer and Will Stafford, based in Washington, D.C., provided the following updates on key issues facing agriculture. > Your CHS Connection 25
Issue Articles
Capitol Connections
Visit Article: http://c.chsinc.com/article/Capitol+Connections/3817135/683787/article.html.