American Agriculture Movement Meets in Oklahoma City for
23rd Annual Convention
Farmers, ranchers and other interested people came together in Oklahoma City, OK
for the 23rd Annual American Agriculture Movement Convention. This year’s
convention was held at the Biltmore Hotel. The Convention was called to order by
President Buddy Vance with Vice-President Wayne Allen offering the opening
prayer. Arthur Chaney lead the group with the pledge of allegiance. Leo Hopper,
Oklahoma AAM State President, gave the welcome.
Larry Mitchell, CEO of the American Corn Growers and Spokesperson for the Rural
Alliance, brought the delegation up-to-date on the various legislative battles
over the past year. Larry said that they were very busy throughout the past
session of congress.
Robert Casper, President of Ethanol Products in Wichita, KS, spoke on the
various ways his company gets involved with an alcohol plant to help them market
their ethanol and other products. He said that none of the plants that he is
involved with are having any trouble selling all their production at a profit.
Bob Wells, a farm bill specialist with the Missouri State Extension Service,
spoke about all the various ways that any one farm could be signed up in the new
farm program. He said that there were several state universities who also had
web sites set up to help farmers through the maze of decisions a farmer must
make to enroll in the new farm program.
Steve Anderson, a rancher from Alma, KS, spoke about the diminishing family
farmer and rancher. He encouraged everyone to be more determined and never give
up—that parity was still the only economic salvation of this country. Steve is
the kind of speaker that could equal Baxter Black. He was very well accepted.
Gene Pflughoff, President of Business Development Inc. from Hutchinson, KS,
spoke on the many projects that he has put together for farm families to help
add value to the assets that they really don’t know they have. He gave a list of
projects that he has helped get started such as pond leasing, petting zoos,
horse boarding, soy-oil, deer leases, pumpkin patches, cattle shared ownership,
wind farm and the list goes on and on. Gene has helped farmers in several states
and has helped 724 businesses develop projects. Of that, 402 were agriculture
related. Gene is a guy with all kinds of ideas. He helps put investors in
contact with people who are in need of help developing their projects.
David Senter, Senter and Associates, spoke about how pleased he was to come to a
convention where there was no fighting going on about policy issues. He said AAM
set it’s goals in 1979 and that they have not changed. David said AAM was the
only organization that even has parity still in their goals and policies. He
said that he looks forward to working with the leadership in the next
legislative session.
The Parity Fund members elected John Willis, Brownsville, TN as the new Parity
Fund Chairman. At the business session, V.B. Morris, was re-elected National
Secretary, Lynn Kirkpatrick was re-elected Vice-President of Marketing, Bruce
Wetzel was re-elected Vice-President of Membership and Don Deichman was
re-elected Vice-President of Political Action.
Buddy Vance encouraged everyone to write to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.
about keeping the tractor right where it is. Buddy said even if you have written
before—write again! We had a report from one of the Matlack boys that the
tractor was still where it belongs in the National Museum of American History.
This was an exceptional convention with a variety of very good speakers. Even
with bad weather in some parts of the country, the Convention was very well
attended and enjoyed by all.
Address to send letters to the Smithsonian:
Steve Ubar, Chairman
Division of the History of Technology
National Museum of American History
Room 500
14th and Constitution Ave. NW
Washington D.C. 20560
E-mail: lubars@nmah.si.edu
Telephone: 202-357-2371
Fax: 202-357-4256
Be sure to send a copy of your letters, etc. to your Senators and
Representatives
Help keep it at the Smithsonian