I am one to rarely talk about politics. In fact, I won’t let anyone even put a sign in my front yard before election day. I just feel that my opinions are mine and your opinions are yours. We will be much better friends and neighbors if we just talked about anything else.
With that said, this whole Donald Trump running for President deal has had my attention (and obviously the attention of everyone else) for the past six months. I really thought that his campaign might last for a few months and he would implode by saying something or doing something that the American public couldn’t forgive.
Just the opposite has happened, as “The Donald” has used his years of experience in the business world and a brand that is synonymous with success, to garner millions of votes for the most powerful office in the civilized World. I am beginning to wonder if his rough and abstractly artistic way of talking about major issues our country faces could be used in other ways, like for issues in the agriculture sector.
For instance, if ag used a Trump-like approach to GMOs, it would go something like this…
“Over a trillion meals have been eaten containing GMOs and nobody has ever gotten sick or died. Nobody! Trump Steaks are full of GMOs and they are excellent. The best steaks on earth. A trillion…if I had a dollar for all of those meals…oh wait, I do.”
Or about the Renewable Fuel Standard…
“You know how much I like walls. I’m going to raise the Ethanol Blend Wall as high as I possibly can and I’m going to make the oil companies pay for it. This wall will be so high the EPA will never be able to see over it. Watch me!”
Or how to thwart Avian Influenza…
“We have to keep all geese from Canada out of our borders. Ted Cruz can take them back home with him. Let’s build a net that reaches so high that these varmints can’t keep pouring across our borders unabated. Public reports routinely state great amounts of crime are being committed by these illegal immigrants. They must go!”
Just think how this would go when approaching the EPA about the Waters of the U.S. Rule, or how to get the Trans Pacific Partnership passed. Have we in agriculture been too nice to get what we want out of our lawmakers and government agencies? Maybe if we go into the conversation in the way of Trump, we could make our case that those who actually grow the food, work the land and do more for the waters and the environment, know more than those that are elected or appointed into the government organizations that oversee agriculture.