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 GATHERING SPOT—Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, addresses a group of rural Kansans at Cheryl's Little River Cafe, in Littler River, Kan. DeLauro, chairman of the House Agricultural Appropriates Subcommittee, was invited by Rep. Jerry Moran, R-KS, to tour Kansas and help her better understand his district. (Photo by Sara Wyant.) Moran and DeLauro find common ground in KansasEditor's note: Columnist Sara Wyant was invited to travel around Kansas with Congressman Jerry Moran, R-KS, who serves as ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, who chairs the powerful House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee. As chairwoman, she oversees the investment of about $19 billion in programs for rural America and food safety. We visited with producers at a café and nearby farm in Little River, stopped at the Rice County Farm Service Agency, and toured renovations at the Rice County District Hospital. By Sara Wyant On the surface, The "Big First" District, represented by Rep. Jerry Moran, R-KS, and Connecticut's Third Congressional District, represented by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, may seem like polar opposites. Moran's district, the eleventh largest in the nation, encompasses 69 counties in western and central Kansas, some of which have fewer than 25 people per square mile. The largest city in the district is Hutchinson, with a population of about 41,000. In contrast, DeLauro's Connecticut district includes 25 cities and towns along the east coast shoreline, including her hometown of New Haven (population 124,000) and Yale University. A lengthy list of manufacturing, technology and bio-medical businesses are located there. The smallest town, the City of Derby, occupies "only" 5.3 square miles. Yet, during a two-day tour through Kansas last week, the two Congressmen seemed to find more common interests than even they might have expected. "With the Congresswoman's important position directing funds for agriculture, I wanted to take the opportunity to show her what life is like in Kansas," explained Moran. "This was to capture why farmers matter, how they live their lives, why they do what they do. I wanted to capture her heart for agriculture." After making her first ever trip to Kansas via the Wichita airport, DeLauro and Moran had lunch with local farmers and ranchers gathered at Cheryl's Little River Café, in Little River, Kan. (population 527). DeLauro seemed genuinely touched by the stories they shared. Despite all she's read about the area, "There's no substitute for being on the ground, for being at Cheryl's and meeting the people I met," explained DeLauro. "Those folks talked about being the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation on the farm and that's what they are all about--wanting to make an honest living off the land and raise their families. When you have the opportunity that Jerry afforded to me today, it's no longer about statistics." Learning more about planting decisions, crop insurance and the cost of farm equipment on Kendall Hodgson's farm, convinced DeLauro that farming in this area was all about "living on the margins," rather than what is commonly described in the national press. "A lot of the stories you see in a lot of the national publications, talk about the excesses--people who have land, but are not doing anything with it and getting paid." The trip reignited her belief that some of the technology associated with renewable energy sources has the ability to revitalize the economy all over this country--if we are willing to make a federal investment similar to what we did in other industries, she adds. And it convinced her about the need to revisit how some of the dollars appropriated are actually being delivered on the ground. "As an appropriator, I thought we did a pretty good job with disaster funds in the supplemental bill," she emphasized. But some of the farmers in the meeting explained that they had trouble getting funds to fill their most pressing needs. For his part, Moran hoped that the trip would also end some of the cynicism that Kansas farmers sometimes feel about lawmakers, especially a Democrat representing an urban East Coast district. "It's important for them to see that someone is paying attention, concerned about their issues and willing to listen." And what about DeLauro's invitation for a tour of Connecticut's third district for him? "It would be an eye opening experience for me." Editor's note: Columnist Sara Wyant is president of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. and publishes a bi-weekly newsletter, Agri-Pulse, on food and farm policy. For more information, you can e-mail her at Agripulse@aol.com. 10/1/07 Advertisement
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