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Crawfish boil helps NAICC build relationships

Matt Eich, NAICC President

June 27, 2019

15 Slides

As a member of the National Aliance of Independent Crop Consultants Executive Board, I always look forward to our spring board meeting and crawfish boil on the Hill (CBOH) in Washington, D.C.

It is an opportunity for the board to meet in person to cover the affairs of the NAICC, visit with EPA, USDA, and other policymakers and continue to forge relationships so that our voices and concerns can be heard.

Those who attended the President’s Luncheon at the annual meeting in Savannah heard that the executive board awarded Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue with NAICC’s Service to Agriculture award. This honor is not given every year, so to receive the award has been noted as a great honor. Unfortunately, Secretary Perdue had to cancel as our keynote speaker at our annual meeting. Allison Jones was able to secure an appointment with the secretary a few days before the board was due to arrive for the annual crawfish boil. Allison, James Todd, Matt Winslow and I were able to meet with Secretary. Perdue and present him with the Service to Agriculture Award. It was a great honor to have the opportunity to meet him and his staff, and to briefly discuss with him the pressing issues that concern the NAICC membership.

The 22nd annual Crawfish Boil on the Hill was held March 27, 2019, at the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The executive board, along with representatives from the Government Affairs Committees, the Leadership Program participants, and several volunteers hosted 364 attendees, six of whom were congressmen from our member states. It was the largest crowd I’ve witnessed in the four years of attending the CBOH. This year marked the 26th executive board visit to Washington, D.C. Every year I attend, I see the benefits of our visits to D.C. With WOTUS, the potential to lose chlorpyrifos, Bt refuge, and many more hot topics, we must continue to keep our positions known as we in the ag community are the experts.

Related:Congress pledges $75 million for feral swine removal

Unfortunately, we live in a nation that has a large rural to urban disconnect, and being our own advocates is crucial to continue our way of life and keep the technologies we depend on.

 

About the Author(s)

Matt Eich

NAICC President, NAICC

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