Economics
 

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A Conducive Business Climate

Other Actions:

Regulatory Climate

Identify land use, regulatory and business policies that will create an accepting, conducive atmosphere for agricultural producers, suppliers, services, wholesalers and industries as a key economic sector.

Recognize that policy makers, government employees and representatives of environmental and business interests are paid to attend meetings. Agricultural producers are not. They must take time from their work to attend meetings. They also represent a very small segment of the population, so it is difficult for them to cover all the meetings that have a bearing on their businesses. To encourage attendance at meetings where input from agricultural producers is required or highly desirable, keep the meetings short and to the point, hold them at a convenient time (midweek, in the afternoon, after most chores are done) and provide compensation for attendance — a meal or, if more than one meeting is required, offer travel expenses and a stipend for those who must attend a series of regular meetings or serve on a task group.

As Tim W. Williams says: "Imagine angels singing the hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah. Just for ... this factual and correct succinct statement of truth. I have sat beside people in the last 5 years who over the course of a 2 day meeting billed their client more money than I took home in a month. O.K. so perhaps I can change professions, but sometimes I wouldn't have had to be there if it weren't for them!!! Conflicts that require our involvement cost us money, no matter how you look at it and what the outcome is. We don't have constituents or members to answer to, but we have wives and children, and living plants and animals, and even a few employees, who depend on our presence each and every day to provide the means by which we survive on this planet."

Local Government Regulations

Review all state and local regulations, fire and building codes, assessments and restrictions related to agriculture. Exempt agriculture from: restrictions that are targeted to other land uses or industries, but are not directly applicable to agriculture; special assessments that do not directly benefit agriculture; and restrictions not necessary for public health or safety or protection of the environment.

Identify inducements that can be used to attract, strengthen and keep agricultural suppliers, services, wholesalers and add-to-value industries.
Strengthen Right to Farm Act to provide farmers with better protection from nuisance complaints. Ensure farmers can make operational changes consistent with Best Management Practices without losing protection of this law. Add provisions from California's "Right to Process Act" to cover ag suppliers, services and add-to-value industries.

All Policy Areas

Develop a county-by-county agricultural impact assessment.

Eliminate "footprints" on land when funding is not identified and allocated. 

Identify steps that can be taken to induce financial markets to encourage investment and growth in agriculture.

Offer economic incentives to attract, strengthen and keep agricultural suppliers, services, wholesalers and add-to-value industries.

Provide loan programs and economic development incentives: Farmers need access to capital to purchase land and equipment and to invest in the development of new products, services, production technologies and marketing strategies. Yet commercial banks often are reluctant to lend money to farmers for agricultural enterprises. Public economic development programs are generally targeted to the industrial and service sectors and do not consider loans to agricultural businesses. State and local governments can facilitate agricultural economic development by treating farms as other businesses, making loan funds, tax incentives and technical assistance available to producers. Twenty-four states offer public agricultural financing programs. Many of these programs are targeted to beginning farmers. Few, if any, have the capital to meet the demand for credit among farmers. One promising approach is a private initiative in Maryland that is experimenting with getting commercial banks to participate in an agricultural loan program through the commitment of Community Reinvestment Act funds. An organization in Virginia is developing a brand of local farm and seafood products, and an organization in Maine is experimenting with selling farm products on the Internet.

Pat Cockrell of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation says: "Currently low interest loans are [available] through FHA for those farmers who have no other credit source. Shouldn't we put the incentive on the financially successful farmers and give low interest loans, possibly for export? Israel has a similar program. We often put our incentives on the wrong behavior. The problem is not borrowing money - it is paying it back!"

Other Suggestions

Promote agri-tourism. 

 Pat Cockrell of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation suggests: "possibly a waiver of liability if farms are used for tours. Currently it is very costly for insurance for commercial tours."

Launch educational campaign to improve awareness of agriculture and how it can be positively affected — to the benefit of all consumers and the economy — by changes in the current business climate.

Form groups to foster exchange of ideas between urban and agricultural people.

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