Taxpayers
Pay The Added,
And "Industry" Gets
The Value
By C. Russell Wood
Value added is a term we hear a lot, regarding the products we raise on our farms. Don't need to sell more, just make what you sell bring more. But where does it say that taxpayers are supposed to pay to make what one sells worth more?
In the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) plan, that's where. But it's not the person who raises the animals that gets the value added - it's the so-called livestock industry.This is attested to by letters being sent to the legislators who are looking to stop NAIS in the state of Missouri by shutting off taxpayer funds needed to get the government ID program up and running.
The Missouri Livestock Marketing Association is trying to block legislation which would prohibit use of taxpayer money to buy equipment for select sale barns to handle the ID requirements while the producer is charged for the service. That's what they are already doing in Michigan, and the sale barn charges the seller about $6 a head. Not a bad deal. Taxpayers buy you the equipment and you charge the taxpayer to use it. Now that is real value added.
By the way, the Missouri Department of Agriculture gets to select which sale barns get the prize, according to their cooperative agreement with USDA. Also, the market association is misleadingly telling that the proposed legislation prohibits private sector source verification programs, when in fact, it protects these quality source verification (QSV) programs.
Another, more subtle approach, is a signed letter to legislators asking them to not block the tax money needed for the Missouri Department of Agriculture to continue solicitation of premises registrations for NAIS. The signers include MFA, Inc., Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Livestock Marketing Association, Missouri Cattlemen Association, and Missouri Association of Veterinarians. These are some of the company and organization people headquartered in Columbia and Jefferson City (certainly not the majority of the producers and members) who are looking for taxpayer support for their businesses. They are listed as partners in the animal ID program by the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA). This is considered by USDA and MDA as the "agriculture industry."
USDA is offering 6 million taxpayer dollars for bounty to national non-governmental organizations such as FFA and 4-H to bring in premises registrations. They are also asking to change the rules on what they can require the state to turn over to them.
Yes, you're talking real value added - when you can get taxpayers to pay the added, and you get the value. And producers? You get to pay twice to support the "industry."
If you oppose the government-run NAIS, but support private sector value-added programs, encourage your state Representatives, Senators, House Speaker, Governor, and neighbors to prevent the government-run NAIS, while permitting private-sector programs to continue.
That's private sector-run, for private sector profit, in selling those RFD tags, tag readers and informational data banks. Not taxpayer-supported, government-run programs for private sector profits.
Reprinted from "Agri Advertiser."
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