YF&R Washington D.C. trip

 I did end up going to D.C. for a quick couple days of meetings and tours with the Wyoming Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers. This was my fourth time going to the nation's capital. This round included meeting with the Department of the Interior, where I asked why the BLM does not maintain the same grazing standards they require of their permittees, especially in areas grazed with wild horses. We also talked about wolves, sage grouse and the Endangered Species Act, trailing permits across public lands, and the issue of disease transmission between domestic and Bighorn sheep.
The Brazilian Embassy was an interesting stop where we learned a lot about agriculture in the Brazil. Specific topics included Foot and Mouth Disease, their ethanol industry and international trade. Their ethanol industry, which uses sugar, was started out with government subsidization. Today it is not government subsidized, and the price of sugar on the open market is higher than the ethanol price, so people rarely use it because of the cost compared to regular gasoline.
Touring the American Farm Bureau Federation Office was also very fun, and we got briefed on several topics of interest/concern within the Farm Bureau organization at present, and see the rooftop view of the Capital.
My last stop was with our Senator, John Barrasso. We're very fortunate in Wyoming to have a great Congressional Delegation, so it was more a thank-you/what's new on issues meeting. From there I flew home to continue on with sorting and shipping while the rest of my group spent a couple days touring our nation's capital.
Here are a few photos from the trip:

The U.S. Capital at night.

 American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman's office, and the great view!

 The Air and Space Museum, exhibit on the race to the moon between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Check out the newspaper articles (writer's plug, lol)

 The super cool, super big camera America launched into to space to spy on the Soviet Union in the late 1960's or early 1970's to see if they were planning and making nuclear weapons (I think). Within a couple years, we perfected this camera from only being able to see items over 40 feet in length, to being able to see a line of people on the street. Very interesting, loved this museum!

 Real airplanes hang from the rafters in the Air and Space Museum.

 Another angle on the Capital.

 Here I am....I'm really not that orange : )

 View from the Capital Steps

 Sitting on the Capital Steps, listening to the Navy Band play, at sunset.

Enjoying the Navy Band.

Here is the whole group that went. We had a great time!

Home Sweet Home

I am back in Wyoming, and loving it, after spending a few days in Washington D.C., lobbying and discussing issues as a representative of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association (USCA). My boyfriend and I were fortunate enough to represent our great state at the fly-in, and it was a fun, intense experience. Hopefully I will have a few minutes to sit down and share several of the issues we covered, as they are all very important to everyone from producers to consumers.

We were also able to spend a day seeing the sites in D.C., met some great people from across the country that were also representing the USCA, walked many many miles, drank lots of coffee, went through a lot of security, and started our trip home at 2:30 a.m., MST yesterday.

I feel like a zombie as a result.

Today I am headed out to check on our yearlings, tomorrow we are turning out the last of our bulls with the cows and beyond that I do not know at this point...

These pictures are from my mother's Columbine flowers, and were taken right before we headed to the nation's capital, and were waiting when we returned.

More than Insurance

I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week in Cheyenne for the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WFB) Legislative meeting and the Young Farmers and Ranchers Legislative Session, held in conjunction.
The Federation side of Farm Bureau is separate from Farm Bureau Insurance. While they are the same company, the insurance side is - big surprise - insurance. The Federation side is one of the oldest and largest voices for farmers and ranchers in the country. A grassroots approach keeps power at the local level, but a large membership provides a voice locally, state-wide, nationally and internationally. Members vote on policy and legislation and local meetings, and that vote is carried to state and national lobbyists within the organization. In addition to lobbying for ag-related legislation, Farm Bureau also does educational and volunteering activities across the nation.
My family has a long-standing history of involvement in the organization, and I plan to continue that involvement. I believe strongly in what the organizations stands for and the policies it's based on.
If you're interested in joining an organization that provides a big voice for agriculture, this a great one. The Young Farmers and Ranchers arm of the Farm Bureau Federation is designed specifically for 18-34 year-olds, and if you have Farm Bureau insurance, you're already a member of the federation. Being a member allows you to vote on policy and issues the organization is involved with on the political front.
If you're not a person with an ag-background that's fine too. Volunteer, educational, travel and political opportunities are available to all members.