By: Samantha Capaldo
Senior Legal Research Associate, Samantha Capaldo, and eight UMES students attended the Agriculture’s Promise Conference in Washington, D.C., in early March. Agriculture’s Promise, organized by the National Young Farmer Educational Association, provides leadership and advocacy training for future agricultural leaders. The students, primarily high school and undergraduate students, attending the conference heard from a variety of speakers, learned how to craft talking points to advocate for agriculture with legislators, and then put everything they learned together in meetings with legislators and congressional staff.
On the first night of the conference, students participated in learning exercises designed to teach them advocacy skills. On the second day of the conference, the conference attendees heard from a variety of speakers on agricultural law, policy, and advocacy, including three government relations experts who discussed advocating for their clients at the federal level. The students also heard from two agricultural lawyers, including ALEI’s own Samantha Capaldo, and Emily Stone, from the National Agricultural Law Center. Emily and Samantha provided lessons in civics and federalism by explaining the checks and balances among the three branches of government, the authority of USDA and FDA in regulating the food supply, and the role of the Farm Bill in agriculture and nutrition in the U.S. Samantha also discussed legal developments over the last year to illustrate how state governments and each branch of the federal government play a role in regulating the food and agriculture industries.
The students then worked within their groups from the night before to develop three to five talking points on areas of the food and agriculture industries about which they were passionate. Each of the groups then presented their talking points to the conference attendees as a whole. Lastly, the conference organizers consolidated the talking points created from all of the groups into seven policy statements. The talking points were divided into seven categories – education, trade and commerce, land and conservation, food and marketing, technology and research, regulation and litigation, and the next generation of farmers. The students ended the day with a bus tour of DC that included stops at the U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
On the last day of the conference, students headed to Capitol Hill to practice what they learned. Students got a first-hand look at the frenzied pace in Washington as they tried to meet with as many Maryland legislators as they could. Ultimately, the UMES students met with staff from Senator Angela Alsobrooks’ office and with Representative Steny Hoyer’s Energy and Environment Policy Advisor. The students discussed their talking points about education, technology and research, trade and commerce, land conservation, and food and marketing. The students also discussed the importance of passing a Farm Bill.
Students from many states attended the conference. It was a great opportunity for them to learn about the issues currently facing the food and agriculture industries. The students also gained valuable experience in interacting with their congressional delegation and their staff.
