Lesson #5: Coalitions key for conservation, crop insurance and farm program success

From Agri-Pulse

It’s a time-honored tradition for any legislative advocate to look for partners who can align politically.

Over the history of U.S. farm bills – dating back to the 1930s – the “traditional” farm organizations have aligned with a wide variety of other special interest organizations, ranging from labor unions to nutrition advocates and conservation groups.

But as attacks from groups on both the ultra-left and ultra-right escalated during the 2014 Farm Bill debate, one thing was becoming crystal clear for farm organization leaders: They needed more “friends” in order to hold on to crop insurance, conservation and even some of their desired commodity programs. Read the rest of the story here.