Farm groups do a little campaigning of their own

COLUMBUS – As the U.S. presidential campaign heads into the home stretch, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s political action committee launched a Web site to push farmer turnout at the polls.
The site, www.ohioagriculturevotes.org, identifies Farm Bureau’s “farmer-friendly” candidates and current officials, takes a look at hot races and explains platform issues.
It also encourages farmers and rural residents to register to vote, volunteer in a campaign or host a “meet and greet” event.
Home Grown. On the national level, the heavy hitters in the wheat, corn, cotton, sugar, rice and soybean commodities and the American Farm Bureau created a new consumer education coalition called Home Grown. The program hopes to reach more consumers about today’s farmer.
But the public information effort has a decidedly political undertone, as most of the activities are planned in the coming months in and around Washington D.C.
“Today’s farmers need existing federal policy,” a group statement said in introducing the new effort Sept. 20.
The National Association of Wheat Growers jump-started the program in June 2003, then solicited other agricultural groups to join its effort.