Al6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 8,1980
Co-op leader calls for vigilance in Washington
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A
national farm leader last
Friday warned farm
cooperative leaders they
must be adequately
represented m Washington
with a strong voice at the
right tune to preserve their
effectiveness and their
future.
Kenneth D. Naden,
president of the National
Council of Farmer
Cooperatives, speaking
before the final session of
Agway’s 16th annual
meeting in Syracuse, NY.,
explained the intricacies of
representing fanners and
farm cooperatives in the
nation’s capital.
Naden was introduced by
Ronald N. Goddard,
executive vice president and
chief executive officer of
Agway Inc., a 123,000
member farm supply and
marketing cooperative
serving 12 northeastern
states. Goddard also serves
as chairman of the board of
NCFC.
“Everyone has mixed
emotions ranging from love
to hate about the influence of
the federal government on
his life and his business,”
Naden said. “The most
fundamental point that
permanently overrides all
debate on specific legislation
is the question of just what
should be the role of the
federal government in our
national life.”
“This was debated en
•HBHBI
dlessly by our founding
fathers," he continued. “It
will never be settled
definitely, because the need
for government action
changes.”
“We all subscribe to the
view that we want as much
freedom as possible, but
want as much control as
necessary. Political power,
as currently developed and
exercised in this country, is
the final determinant of how
much government action is
necessary,” he said
Naden warned the in
fluence of federal govern
ment in the lives of every
citizen and business firm is
growing at a rapid pace. He
pointed out that the number
of persons on the staffs of
congressmen and
congressional committees
has doubled m the past 10
years
“It is important to un
derstand that the federal
government is not one
monolithic entity,” he said.
“There are many govern
ments, centers of power at’
the federal level, and not all
are equally conspicuous or
known to everyone.”
“If you as farmers and
cooperative leaders are to be
adequately represented in
Washington, you must have
a voice at the appropriate
tune before each of these
different branches of
government,” he said.
“You must have a
program of action involving
Kenneth D. Naden
lobbyists who are experts in
the operation of the federal
government,” he continued
Naden stressed there are
serious clouds on the horizon
for farmer cooperatives in
Washington.
“There have been many
factors that have tended to
create a basically sym
pathetic view toward far
mers and farmer
cooperatives m the past,” he
stated “But we must be
vigiliant to preserve the
favorable climate to help
farmers stabilize or raise
their incomes and give them
clout in the marketplace
which they would not
otherwise have without
federal assistance.”
Naden pointed out NCFC is
a trade association with
cooperative corporations as'
members. It is also a farm
organization because the
sole objective of the member
cooperatives is to improve
the income and security of
the fanner owners and
patrons.
Naden commented on
several legislative activities
in Washington of particular
interest to farmer
cooperative members.
One is to insure the
allocation of imported crude
oil at a fair price to
cooperative refineries which
do noi nave oU wells ul Uieir
own.
Another is priority for
gasoline and diesel fuel for
planting, harvesting and
food processing operations
in the event of gasoline
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Naden also mentioned the
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