Griff Highlights The Importance Of Advocacy Efforts During The Pandemic

The pandemic has made many aspects of life more challenging for the farming community, but advocacy does not have to be one of those. Brad Griff Executive Director of the Idaho Sugarbeet Growers Association, said they were scheduled to meet up with fellow growers from across the country a few weeks ago to talk with Congressional leaders about issues impacting the industry. While face to face meetings could not take place, the Association worked to facilities on-line and virtual meetings. And through that, Griff said they were able to visit with 307 congressional offices in two weeks.

He praised the farmers that took time from their schedule to meet with lawmakers, saying it’s extremely meaningful for those leaders to talk with the boots on the ground.

“On the Farm Bill, on sugar policy, when you have people come into your office and they say ‘I’m a sugar beet grower, and here is how this impacts me’, that means so much.  We’ve got a great lobby team out in D.C. that will always follow up on those meetings, but this is our bread and butter, our visits to Capitol Hill and our visits with staffers from the growers themselves.”

Griff noted the congressional meetings allowed them to share a variety of success stories from the past year.

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