Courtney Honored as a "Friend of the Farm Bureau"

By: Chenoa Pierce, Villager Newspapers, 10/17/08

THOMPSON — On Tuesday, Oct. 14, members of the Connecticut Farm Bureau gathered at Fort Hill Farm in Thompson to present Congressman Joe Courtney (D-Conn., 2nd District) with the Friend of Farm Bureau Award.

The award is given out annually at the end of the congressional session to the members of Congress who have voted in favor of the issues that face the bureau most of the time, according to Connecticut Farm Bureau President Randy Blackmer.

This year, six out of seven of the congressmen and U.S. senators in the state were eligible for the award, thanks largely in part to their “major support” of the farm bill, according to Blackmer.

“That kind of pushed the percentage [of those eligible] up,” he said. Each state’s Farm Bureau looks at the votes made for the agricultural issues and chooses a senator or congressman it feels deserves the award.

The bureaus then nominate that person and, pending approval by the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors, nominate them, according to a press release from Courtney’s office. “This award is given based on solid voting records on agricultural legislation,” read a statement on the release.

The members of Congress receiving the 2008 Friend of Farm Bureau awards all played a key role in helping to pass the 2008 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is revised every five years. “Those receiving the 2008 Friend of Farm Bureau Award supported Farm Bureau’s legislative priorities, including positions on key elements in the 2008 Farm Bill,” reads a statement from the press release.

When Courtney was first elected into office two years ago, he met with the members of the Connecticut Farm Bureau to talk about the issues impacting them. The Connecticut bureau had him in to visit and go over urgent priorities, he said.

One of the main concerns the bureau had, according to Courtney, was that the issues facing Connecticut farms be made known and included in the 2008 bill, which they were. One of the programs that Courtney, who still works closely with the bureau, said he supported that helps farmers in the area is the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program, which compensates farmers for lost wages when the price of milk falls below a designated level. The 2008 Farm Bill extended MILC and helped make adjustments to the cost of the feed used for farm animals.

Also included in the bill was support for specialty crop farmers and farmers’ markets. “Farmers’ markets [are a] successful vehicle for generating revenue,” said Courtney.

That legislation, according to Courtney, was not an easy one to pass.

“It was a long ride to get that legislation through,” he said during his thank-you speech to the Connecticut Farm Bureau members present, noting that, though the legislation is not perfect, it has improved. Courtney said he found out that he would be receiving the honor “about a month ago.”

Overall, Courtney said he felt honored to receive the award, adding that working with the bureau was a wonderful experience. “I’m thankful that they presented me with this award because I enjoyed working with them,” he said.