Wednesday February 25, 2015
Our day started at the USDA headquarters, where Ms. Kathryn Hill hosted our group.
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| Deputy Undersecretary Karis Gutter, USDA |
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Karis Gutter, Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural
Services has served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the
past six years. This division oversees Farm Service Agency (FSA) and
Risk Management Agency (RMA). Mr. Gutter described programmatic changes
to the farm safety net--crop insurance and commodity programs. With the
launch of the new farm bill in spring of 2014, FSA prioritized
deployment of disaster programs, dairy risk protection tools, financial
lending, and conservation programs. Further discussion with SDARL
leaders addressed the need for livestock risk management products; farm
program participation affected by wetland compliance concerns; and
increasing lending limits for guarantee loans.
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| Kanable, Symens, Nelson and Kettwig |
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Rural development (RD)
issues were the focus of Sam Rikkers, who serves as Deputy Adminstrator
for that agency within USDA. Rural housing, business support and utility
programs were highlighted during this dialogue. An example of a RD
business program which farmers or ranchers could utilize would be Rural
Energy for America Program (REAP,) which provides grants and low
interest loans to upgrade to higher efficiency systems, such as grain
dryers or barn ventilation fans. Broadband access and wastewater system
improvements continue to be high demand infrastructure needs of rural
communities, also. Class members shared examples of how their South
Dakota communities have benefited from RD programs, such as new housing
triplexes and daycare centers.
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| SDARL Class VIII at USDA |
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| Dr. Shelly Ver Ploeg: "Food Deserts" |
Food deserts were the
subject of a presentation by Dr. Shelly Ver Ploeg, economist within
the Economic Research Service (ERS). Food deserts are described as an
area with limited access to healthy, nutritious food and usually in a
low-income area. Dr. Ver Ploeg outlined analysis conducted countywide to
identify areas within both urban and rural areas that lack proximity to
grocery stores and transportation to those shopping centers. South
Dakota's map shows quite a few food deserts, primarily in southwest and
northwest counties and a few scattered communities in central and
northeastern parts of the state.
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| Congresswoman Noem meeting with the class |
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| Congresswoman Kristi Noem & SDARL Class VIII |
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SDARL members took to the Hill on Wednesday afternoon, meeting with
Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, as well as with their senior policy advisers. Senator Thune's office arranged a tour of the Capitol, which concluded our visit to the Hill.
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| Senator John Thune |
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| Senator John Thune & SDARL Class VIII |
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| Senator John Thune meeting with the class |
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| Sen. Thune's policy advisors Lynn Tjeerdsma & Ty Littau |
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| Senator Rounds, members Randy Nelson and James Kroupa |
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| Senator Rounds & SDARL Class VIII |
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| Senator Rounds with Eric Jennings. Jennings' great grandfather Peter Norbeck's desk is nowadays used by the Senator. |
Wednesday evening concluded with a reception of agricultural and forestry
leadership program participants from Washington, Indiana, South Dakota and
Minnesota. Small groups from these states enjoyed dinner together--providing a
chance to compare leadership experiences, state agricultural industries and
highlights of their Washington, DC trips. Interestingly, some of these state
leadership programs have been training leaders for more than 35 years.
Submitted by Trudy Wastweet
