Ee Ei Ee Ei .... Whoa!

     In case you didn't know it, the American family farm may soon become a thing of the past.  Proposals of regulations and more Executive Orders are making it increasingly difficult for farmers to sustain their businesses.  And the attacks are coming from all sides.

     One of the recent shots across the bow was a consideration by the Department of Transportation to require Commercial Drivers Licenses for operators of farm equipment.  In case you believe all the denials that were trotted out after the ensuing public outcry, here is what I take to be proof:


DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 4910-EX-P Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 49 CFRParts383 and 390 [Docket No. FMCSA-2011-0146]


Regulatory Guidance: Applicability of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to Operators of Certain Farm Vehicles and Off-Road Agricultural Equipment AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice.

     This supposed "rumor" is listed in the Federal Register!  And in among all the mumbo jumbo of legalese is an issue regarding "interstate commerce" versus "intrastate commerce".  Isn't that the same argument being used to justify the health care overhaul?  I don't know about you, but it makes me awful suspicious!  And then you read that it's all been dropped, but the next news source says it's still under consideration.  I honestly don't know where it stands (and would appreciate it if anyone out there could enlighten me).  What I do know is that IF such legislation would ever be mandated, it would require farmers to:


• Acquire a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).
• Display DOT numbers.
• Register owners or farm name.
• Limit mileage.
• Obtain a medical card for the driver or maintain logs of hours worked and service records.

     To further add to the absurdity of this situation, age requirements would also limit young family members and senior citizens from driving the family tractor.   My family were farmers, and I can tell you, that age was not a factor in getting the crops in, and my grandfather would be rolling over in his grave to think that the government could tell him he had to limit the miles his farm equipment could be employed, or that he had to keep records of how many hours he'd worked to show some government official!  Farmers have known how to work their farms for centuries without government oversight, thank you very much!

     And if that is not enough, it seems that Americans are unaware of how another little-known Executive Order could soon affect us.  Nearly a year ago, in June of 2011, Executive Order 13575 established the "White House Rural Council to Strengthen Rural Communities".  Sounds like a rather honorable and decent commission doesn't it?

     Well, here is part of what this innocent-sounding Council is charged with: Section 4 of the executive order which describes the “Mission and Function of the Council” is frighteningly inclusive of just about every aspect of the rural community. The WHRC is tasked to:

(b) “coordinate and increase the effectiveness of Federal engagement with rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, education and training institutions, health-care providers, telecommunications services providers, research and land grant institutions, law enforcement, local, and tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations regarding the needs of rural America;

(c) coordinate Federal efforts directed toward the growth and development of geographic regions that encompass both urban and rural areas: and

(d) identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy development, outdoor recreation, and other conservation related activities.”

     Nothing to be concerned about, right?  No need to worry that there is an agenda or plan to take over farms and legislate food production, right? Well, take a look at some of the tasks incorporated in the U.N. Agenda 21, Section II, Chapter 14:


A. Management-related activities


14.9 Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations, should:


(a) “Carry out national policy reviews related to food security, including adequate levels and stability of food supply and access to food by all households;


(b) Review national and regional agricultural policy in relation, inter alia, to foreign trade, price policy, exchange rate policies, agricultural subsidies and taxes, as well as organization for regional economic integration;


(c) Implement policies to influence land tenure and property rights positively with due recognition of the minimum size of land-holding required to maintain production and check further fragmentation;


(d) Consider demographic trends and population movements and identify critical areas for agricultural production;


(e) Formulate, introduce and monitor policies, laws and regulations and incentives leading to sustainable agricultural and rural development and improved food security and to the development and transfer of appropriate farm technologies, including, where appropriate, low-input sustainable agricultural (LISA) systems;


(f) Support national and regional early warning systems through food-security assistance schemes that monitor food supply and demand and factors affecting household access to food;


(g) Review policies with respect to improving harvesting, storage, processing, distribution and marketing of products at the local, national and regional levels;


(h) Formulate and implement integrated agricultural projects that include other natural resource activities, such as management of rangelands, forests, and wildlife, as appropriate;


(i) Promote social and economic research and policies that encourage sustainable agriculture development, particularly in fragile ecosystems and densely populated areas;


(j) Identify storage and distribution problems affecting food availability; support research, where necessary, to overcome these problems and cooperate with producers and distributors to implement improved practices and systems.”


     I don't mean to throw a bunch of "legislative" gibberish at you, and you might think I am over-reaching in my conclusions ..... but anytime I see that the government is "considering" another regulation that limits our abilities to manage our own businesses and affairs, it makes me a little concerned.  And anytime a new "Council" surfaces that seems to echo U.N. proposals, it makes me VERY concerned.   So I would advise us all to stay tuned in, and be aware of these encroachments.  They are removing one brick at a time from our wall of self-rule and independence.
     
Zechiariah 13:5     Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth. ’