Duvall , continued
Duvall , continued
through the West , I saw the impact of regulatory overreach . I saw how public lands are withering under federal constraints and mismanagement . Ranchers are being trampled by federal agencies that want to drive them off public lands their families have used — and helped care for — for generations .
Overpopulation of wild horses and burros is just one example of how the government is serving neither man nor beast out West . Instead of the public image of strong , wild horses galloping free , with beautiful manes flying in the air , most of these animals barely survive . Dehydrated and starving , they have devastated the landscape and local ecosystems through severe overgrazing . The Bureau of Land Management by law must control the excess population or give ranchers the license they need to help mitigate the problem . BLM has done neither .
Time and again farmers and ranchers have used their ingenuity and tireless work ethic to preserve natural resources and build up local communities . But when agriculture is pushed out , natural resources often go to waste .
Western forests have suffered crushing losses from the destructive mountain pine beetle . Yet federal agencies have allowed nature to run its course , wiping out millions of acres of Western trees , rather than working with local farmers and businesses to establish best practices to stop the pests , reduce fuel for wildfires and preserve forests and local timber industries . The result is bare mountainsides and depressed rural economies where businesses have been forced to pull out . Farmers and ranchers use good business sense to conserve natural resources , but when we ’ re driven out , who ’ s left to care for these lands that were meant to be a source of national pride ?
The challenges facing agriculture are significant , but not insurmountable . Our Farm Bureau strength comes through when we reach across regions to help our neighbors from all walks of agriculture . Our Creator , in many passages throughout the Bible , instructs us to love our neighbors and treat them as we want to be treated . When Southerners needed support in their efforts to strengthen the safety net for cotton growers , farmers from across the country united behind their neighbors
in the South . One of my proudest moments as a Farm Bureau member was when voting delegates from other regions were debating cotton policy at the AFBF Annual Convention last January and said , in effect , we stand for all of agriculture — we must help each other .
Through my travels and conversations with farmers and ranchers in every region , I hope to raise awareness of regional challenges , such as the Western problems I have seen recently , and give Farm Bureau members more examples of how they can help their neighbors and stand united for all of agriculture .
ZETT ’ S
TRI-STATE FISH FARM & HATCHERY
878 Hatchery Road • Inwood , WV 25428 ( 304 ) 229-3654 www . zettsfishhatchery . com
Over 30 species available Colorful Catalog Upon Request - or view online Truck Deliver- UPS - Pickup
Come Fish Our Lakes - Catch Your Own 1-100 lb fi sh - see our website for Rates
LIVESTOCK DIRECTORY
Quality selections available at the farm .
Ballard , WV 24918 304-772-3060 email : waiteville @ frontier . com
26 West Virginia Farm Bureau News