Peoria Journal Star / Saturday May 13, 2000 / by Elaine Hopkins and Steve Tarter
ACTIVISTS SAY THEY WEREN'T GIVEN VOICE IN TODAY'S FEDERAL MEETING
Peoria--Butterflies, mutant corn cobs and specters of death will bring some unlikely drama to today's federal farm hearing at the Civic Center.
Costumed demonstraters will picket along Jefferson Avenue outside the U.S. House Agriculture Committee's Farm Policy Field Hearing.
The activists, who say small farmers have been silenced in favor of large agri-business advocates, plan to wave signs, distribute statements and buttonhole members of Congress at the 8:30 a.m. public hearing.
Dave Pittman said he organized the protest to dramatize concerns about biotech food, an issue he doubts will be addressed fully at the hearing.
"The government is not protecting us. It's sleeping with Monsanto." said Pittman of West Peoria.
Biotech foods involve "corporate agriculture and profits, consumer health and family farm survival," he said as well as "mutant weeds and wildlife damage."
Ten U.S. Representatives, including Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, a member of the agriculture committee, will convene for the four hour meeting.
Karen Hudson, an anti-corporate farm acitvist and president of Families Against Rural Messes, farms near Elmwood with her husband, Rocky. She asked to testify as a farm wife, she said, but was told the committee didn't want to hear from people heading groups.
She pointed out, however, that Ron Warfield, president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, will testify. He is one of 21 people set to present five minutes of testimony and answer questions from the panel.
Warfield, who farms 1,800 acres in Ford County, said friday he will call for normal trade relations with China, maaaarket-based farm policies and more government agricultural research into several areas, including biotech food.
But Hudson said the hearing, the last of 10 throughout the country is following the pattern set elsewhere.
"People were screened and selected to present 80 percent in favor of agri-business and 20 percent farmers in other areas. It's a sham." she said.
LaHood, who caould not be reached for comment Friday, said earlier this week he believes those chosed to speak represent "a good cross-section" of the farm community. About 50 people applied to participate.
Greg Carr, who farms near Hennepin, wanted to tell the committee of his concerns about the lack of anti-trust enforcement in agriculture, which he said is driving small farmers out of business.
He is also interested in stronger food safety guidelines.
"If congressmen go away with the feeling that everything is rosy, you can kiss the independent farmers goodbye," he said. "I would love to testify. Why can't we oppen this up?"
LaSalle broadcaster Rod Thorsen called for a forum for the agricultural committee to freely debate the issues. But he doesn't expect today's hearing to provide that exchange.
"This hearing is a perfect example of a masquerade, Farm Bureau Liberals cross-dressing as family farmers," he said.
Mile Platt, former director of the Heartland Water Resources Council, asked to testify but was not chosen. He had hoped to discuss linking farm payments with stricter conservation practices.
"In the last 15 years," he said, "we have put two feet of mud in the Peoria Lakes." The taxpayers are subsidizing the destruction of the soil and rivers."
Warfield said the Farm Bureau believes farm conservation practices should be voluntary and based on incentives and not linked to government farm payments.
"Look at the track record," he said. "Soil loss has gone down while productivity has gone up.":
