Agriculture officials should resign

Bryan King

The state Agriculture Department has failed Arkansas farmers badly at a time when poultry growers are struggling to survive. Instead of helping famers, the department helped corporate entities that created many of the farmers’ financial problems.

Therefore, because of gross negligence and incompetence at the top levels of the department, I am calling for the resignations of Wes Ward, the secretary of Agriculture, and Patrick Fisk, the director of the Livestock and Poultry Commission.

Arkansas farmers rely on competent and responsible leadership from the Agriculture Department, but their handling of the Cooks Venture situation is a clear example of gross negligence, incompetence and misplaced priorities.

Farmers are facing tough times not seen since the Great Depression. The recent decision by Tyson Foods to cancel contracts highlights the financial uncertainties that poultry growers live with every day. The poor business decisions made by Cooks Venture, resulting in its bankruptcy, had devastating consequences for Arkansas farmers and ranchers.

Who did the government help? The Agriculture Department has made multiple claims that it acted on behalf of Cooks Venture to help euthanize birds. That is unacceptable, considering the total lack of assistance the department offered farmers.

The Agriculture Department should help taxpaying farmers instead of a company that failed to live up to its contracts. About 1.5 million birds were euthanized on the actions of the Agriculture Department for the benefit of a failing company. Taxpayers and farmers paid the cost.

Growers were not given enough notice. This financial disaster was forced on them; it was not the result of anything they did. Growers should have been given more notice before trucks showed up on their farms to deliver birds that could not be raised. That was wrong.

Then growers were told they could not film the actions of state workers. It is a clear infringement on the freedom of citizens when they are not allowed to record the actions of government officials on their own property.

At first, Mr. Fisk said that no law authorized him to euthanize the birds. But then he said his decision to euthanize was due to animal welfare concerns. Then he flipflopped again by citing Avian influenza as his reason for not helping farmers. Avian influenza is an extremely infectious disease that is never to be taken lightly, but Mr. Fisk’s actions show that it was not the cause of his concerns, as several of the affected farms are outside Avian influenza hot zones.

Despite assurances from the Agriculture Department that dead birds would not be left on farms, the opposite is true. The department’s broken promise, along with the lack of a written agreement with Cooks Venture, proved to be disastrous for farmers and for the environment. Arkansas farmers and taxpayers, due to a decision by the Agriculture Department, have bailed out a failing company that refused to live up to its contracts.

During this upcoming fiscal session, I will file legislation to compensate growers for cleanup costs and costs arising from the actions of the Agriculture Department. Growers should not have to pay taxes to bail out Cooks Venture from its failed business decisions, while at the same time suffering devastating economic consequences due to the actions of the Agriculture Department. Farmers did not fail; why should they be penalized? And why should a failing company be rewarded with a bailout?

If you’re looking for a pattern, look no further than Wes Ward’s decision to send public tax dollars to a private fair, while cutting grants to traditional county fairs. But that’s another issue for another day.

Also during the April fiscal session, I will propose changing the process of appointing the Secretary of Agriculture and other top positions. Our farmers and ranchers already face potentially disastrous economic consequences due to tough markets. It’s bad enough that they suffer for the actions of failing companies with bad management, and then they have to cope with decisions made by inept government officials.

More than ever ranchers, farmers and taxpayers need competent leadership from people who know what farming demands. Obviously it takes a strong work ethic to succeed, but farmers also need a level playing field in the business and regulatory environment.

It’s sad that the Agriculture Department will only give written statements and does not answer questions from local elected officials and the media. What do they have to hide?

My family has operated a family farm for many generations in Arkansas and I have been a contract grower for more than 30 years. Agriculture is the largest industry in the state and in Senate District 28, which I represent, it’s the single most important way to make a living. The state Agriculture Department must change its priorities and help farmers and ranchers, not bankrupt corporate executives.

••• Bryan King represents District 28 in the Arkansas State Senate. The district includes all of Carroll and Madison counties as well as parts of Boone, Crawford, Johnson and Newton counties.