Rob: Well from honoring agriculture's best, we move, now, to take a look
to the industry's future.
Earlier, I sat down with Mike Spradling, the new president of
Oklahoma's Farm Bureau.
So, Mike, how quickly is farming, is agriculture,
changing here in our state?
Mike Spradling: Well, farming in our state's changing as fast as other
industries are as well.
We certainly have a tremendous amount of technology, now, that
allows us to do a lot of different things that we couldn't do in the past.
But, now we have farmers and ranchers, on their own place, selling their
commodities all over the world.
Internet's done a tremendous amount for agriculture as it has for
other industries as well.
Rob: Yeah, and technology has allowed fewer people to do more, which has
changed the makeup of some of our rural communities though.
Spradling: Well, it certainly has.
It certainly has.
And that's the thing, certainly with the technology, I think we
have the capability of doing about, providing food for, not only as we
have in the past for this country, but around the world.
The thing, certainly though, that concerns me is that the technology is
here, but the legislation, regulation, is one of the things that we're going to
have to deal with as agriculture here, not only in the state of Oklahoma,
but the United States as a whole.
Rob: Sure. And speaking of legislation,
let's talk a little bit about the Farm Bill.
And if someone's not directly related in agriculture, they may not
know what's going on, but it's the one big bill that really guides agriculture
for the next several years, and they're in the process of
trying to get one figured out.
Spradling: Well, we are; and certainly as you mentioned, a lot of people
don't realize what all is entailed, in the Farm Bill.
The Farm Bill actually has 10 titles which the commodity part is
certainly number one to the growers in this
country as well as conservation.
But, there's a nutrition title in there as well, and 70 percent of the
budget, at least 70 percent, a lot of people don't realize, there is
where the funds go.
Out of the entire Farm Bill budget, 70 percent of that goes into the
nutrition which takes care of the school lunch programs, the commodities
and food stamp programs.
Rob: Let me ask you one final question.
If you could write the headline for what people that maybe don't live on a
farm know about agriculture, what is it, what do they need to know
about Oklahoma agriculture?
Spradling: Well, certainly, Oklahoma agriculture, or beef
industry, or wheat industry, we have a lot of other special commodities
in this state that, we're very diversified.
But, it's very important to realize, and when people think of the Farm
Bill and they talk about the subsidies and everything, they look at
and think, well, you know, those farmers are being subsidized; but you don't
have to travel, which you've traveled all around the world, you don't have
to get very far out of the state of Oklahoma, or across our borders, to
realize, the true people that's really being subsidized is probably the
consumers in this country; because what we do, what the farm program does
provide is a safety net to be sure that we have farmers and ranchers that
continue to produce a very safe food product in the quantities that we can
continually have a good price on our food.
But, again, that's a very important thing that most people don't realize.
The consumer is getting subsidized probably just as much, maybe even more,
or they should be considered as being subsidized,
as the farmer themselves.
Rob: Well, Mike, we certainly appreciate you being here.
Mike Spradling, the president of, Oklahoma Farm Bureau.