On October 27, 2006, National Grange President William A. Steel delivered the Keynote Address at the National Ag Center and Hall of Fame to celebrate the contributions by three distinguished gentlemen to American agriculture who were being inducted into the Ag Hall of Fame. He began by discussing three boys meeting one day down at the local pond to go fishing. One was a visitor from a foreign country, another a city kid from out east who was passing through, and the third a local from the plains of Kansas. Mr. Steel went on to say that the first boy, a German named Justus von Liebig, grew up to establish a chemical teaching lab at the University of Giessen in 1826. His comprehensive study of plant nutrition changed the nature of scientific agriculture forever. One of his most widely recognized and far-reaching accomplishments was the invention of nitrogen- based fertilizers. He formulated the Law of the Minimum, stating that a plant’s development is limited by the one essential mineral that is relatively in shortest supply. This Law has become the basis for the modern application of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to make our record production possible.

Mr. Steel went on to say that in the 19 th Century, the new theories of agronomy caught the attention of a city kid, turned farmer and organizer named Oliver Hudson Kelley. As an adult Kelley grasped the idea that the emergence of “scientific agriculture” wasn’t just about improving production practices on subsistence farms. Kelley realized that there was a tremendous opportunity to build lasting social, cultural and political cohesion among America’s farmers around the theme of continuously pursuing, and adapting to, progress. His findings spurred him to develop an organization that lifted the lives of farmers, both by giving them social outlets, and providing up to date farming opportunities. Over the period of a couple years, working with associates in the national capitol area, the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was established. The tradition of economic and political cooperation, scientific progress, and social cohesion that the National Grange promoted had a tremendous impact on rural and farming communities across the entire United States, including communities like Russell, Kansas.

Kansas brings little boy number three into the picture, Bob Dole who became a U. S. Senator. Every Farm Bill since 1962 has had his personal touch. Every food or nutrition program for American citizens, and for that matter, for people around the world, has his mark. Today, as we face the very different challenges of the 21 st Century such as national energy security and environmental consequences of mankind’s reliance on fossil fuels, our children and grandchildren will undoubtedly live in a more peaceful, secure and sustainable society due to Bob Dole’s unfailing political support of, and visionary faith in, the promise of ethanol and other biofuel technologies that are derived from our nation’s farms and brought to us through the sustained application of the scientific principals of organic chemistry.

Mr. Steel concluded, “A questioning mind is essential for those who would serve the common good. A dream of what might be is essential for progress to be made. And a commitment to carry out that dream even amidst adverse surroundings is a character trait in every one of the people whose pictures decorate the walls of this Ag Center and Hall of Fame. What we do today, how we encourage those who are young, where we place our financial resources and priorities will determine who gets recognized in the years ahead.”

Leroy Watson, Legislative Director for the National Grange, recently wrote to the Federal Communications Commission supporting the proposed merger of AT&T and BellSouth. The National Grange believes that this merger will serve the public interests of rural consumers, rural small businesses and family farmers within the service area of the proposed new company. The National Grange also feels that this merger would provide better telecommunications services in rural communities than would be the case if the two companies remained independent. Combining these two entities offers the possibility of enhancing telecom networks and enriching the tools available to millions of consumers, especially in rural areas where advanced technologies lag behind. However, the National Grange also strongly believes that achieving enhanced telecommunications networks in rural areas will require the Commission and its staff to ensure full implementation of the merged company’s written commitments of investment, deployment and innovation in serving rural areas.

After the merger, AT&T/Bell South have pledged broadband Internet access to all residential living units in their rural service areas. Mr. Watson urged the Commission to clarify that rural residences also include small rural businesses and/or family farms and that the Commission monitor this commitment closely to assure that low and moderate income rural households and businesses receive substantial benefit from this commitment.

National Grange also urged the Commission to clarify that rural residences and businesses be included in all commitments AT&T/ BellSouth has made as a result of the proposed merger including free broadband modems to subscribers in 2007, a broadband internet service rate of $10 per month, stand alone high-speed Internet service not requiring voice-grade telephone service.

Mr. Watson also urged the Commission to clarify that disaster recovery capabilities and public safety promotion that address the unique challenges of recovering from natural disasters and hurricanes in rural and remote communities should be strongly encouraged and expected under this commitment.

The National Grange believes that the combined AT&T/BellSouth will result in a more responsive and efficient company better able to provide new and innovative services and products to all of its customers urban suburban and rural. With a more robust network as a result of this merger, AT&T/BellSouth will be able to deploy the latest technologies across various technology platforms in order to truly reach out to serve our rural communities. In turn, this will facilitate providing the benefits of facilities based competition and exciting new products to some of the most underserved and low income rural areas of our nation.

The National Grange recently wrote to the Internal Revenue Service in support of the repeal of the telephone Federal Excise Tax (FET) and recommended a safe harbor refund for all taxpayers to receive their prior FET payments as tax refunds. Mr. David R. Williams, Director of Earned Income and Health Coverage Tax Credits responded to the letter stating that on August 31, the IRS announced a set of safe harbor amounts ranging between $30 and $60 based on the number of exemptions taxpayers file on their 2006 tax returns. He went on to say that the standard amounts are based on actual telephone usage data, and the amount applicable to a family or other household reflects the long-distance phone tax paid by similarly sized families or households. Using these amounts is the easiest way for taxpayers to get their refunds and avoid gathering 41 months of old phone records.

Additionally, Mr. Williams stated that the IRS is currently researching ways to make the refund process easier for businesses and nonprofits. They are considering an estimation method that businesses and nonprofits may use for figuring the tax paid. Further information will be available in the coming weeks. Mr. Williams concluded by thanking the National Grange for their thoughtful suggestions.

Leroy Watson, Legislative Director for the National Grange, recently wrote to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee regarding health insurance for small businesses. Among other responses was a letter from Senator Pat Roberts (Kansas), co-sponsor of S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act. Senator Roberts stated that as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, he is committed to providing affordable health care for small businesses. Senator Roberts stated that less than half of America’s small businesses can afford to offer employees health insurance because of the high cost. He believes that businesses should not be forced to choose between staying in business or offering health insurance to their employees. Instead, he stated, these businesses should be given the same opportunities for affordable health care as large businesses have long enjoyed. Roberts stated, “This is why I am a cosponsor of S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act. This legislation allows small businesses to pool together and purchase health insurance, giving these businesses better purchasing power much like large businesses such as Microsoft or Ford. These plans, known as Small Business Health Plans (SBHPs), will give small businesses an affordable choice for health care and will allow small businesses to choose a health plan that best fits their needs. SBHPs will be regulated by the states and have the necessary protections in place to ensure consumers still have access to appropriate procedures, providers and services.” The Senator thanked the National Grange for writing and stated that he is looking forward to Grange advice and counsel.