Agriculture secretary touts term limits

WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP)--Ed Schafer's abbreviated term as U.S. Agriculture Secretary is winding down, and the former North Dakota governor would like to see other politicians follow suit.

Schafer told a farm show audience Sept. 9 that he has come to believe over the last few years that term limits may help to solve partisan gridlock.

"I have come to the conclusion that the only way we can get things done is with term limits," Schafer said in a question and answer session at Big Iron, an annual Fargo-area farm show with hundreds of exhibits and thousands of visitors.

Potential candidates are scared away because they don't have the money and they don't want to endure negative campaigns, Schafer said.

"Today, people are blocked out from the process," he said. "And then the fight is to stay there, not to develop good public policy."

A good example, Schafer said, is the lack of a national energy policy. He said members of Congress are working against each other to promote energy sources from their home states, and the result is higher production costs for farmers.

Answering a question from a southeastern North Dakota farmer, Schafer said it would take leadership from the president and cooperation from Congress to pass energy legislation.

"Until somebody maps out a way to get there, we're going to struggle with commodities," Schafer said.

Schafer also said leaders need to come to grips with increases in the global consumption of food, particularly in China, India and Mexico. Current crop yields are not keeping pace with demands, he said.

"It's not a perfect storm, as some have said," Schafer said. "We're not going back."

Schafer was confirmed in January to head a department with 107,000 employees and representatives from 29 different agencies. He replaced former Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns, who left the post to run for the Senate.

On his first day in office, Schafer recalled, he was forced to deal with an animal abuse investigation that led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history. He then worked unsuccessfully to kill a $290 billion farm bill the Bush administration considered to be bloated.

Schafer said even though the administration "lost the battle," there are good elements in the farm bill and he said the USDA is working hard to implement the legislation. Many programs are ahead of schedule, he said.

Farm bill negotiations behind closed doors were not as cantankerous as portrayed by some legislators, Schafer said.

"It is not as ugly as it seems in the news most times," he said. "It's a good process."

Mike Clemens, a Wimbledon farmer, said afterward that Schafer has "added common sense" to farm issues in his short term as ag secretary.

"I was just really impressed how he knew the issues on a lot of different topics," Clemens said. "I would say that he's represented both the administration and farmers well by being in that position."

9/22/08
6 Star Midwest Ag\2-B

Date: 9/17/08

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