The decisions leaders make in Washington, DC, and state capitals all around the country impact our way of life every day in so many different ways. As the 119th Congress officially embarks on a new session, it’s also the beginning of a lot of relationship building for many National Pork Producers Council staff members.
A Voice for Pork Producers
“Everybody pays attention to the new president as they should, but you’re also getting all these new folks in Congress,” says Josh Scramlin, regional director of producer services for NPPC. “On Jan. 3, 63 new members were welcomed to the House of Representatives. If there are 435 members in the House, and 63 of them are brand new, that’s a large percentage of folks our team in Washington, DC, are trying to meet. There are also 100 U.S. senators, and 12 of those senators are new as well.”
Not only will NPPC staff be working with the pre-existing relationships they already have, but Scramlin says they will also be identifying new relationships to foster and develop.
“I know we’re beating a dead horse when we say, ‘You’ve got to tell your story.’ However, when somebody is elected to Congress, they are paying attention to all these issues,” Scramlin says. “And the pork industry, even though it’s our lives, is just a little sliver in the grand scheme of everything they’re paying attention to. So, it’s incumbent upon us to get in and talk with those folks.”
The World Keeps Spinning
If there’s one message that Scramlin would like to get across to producers right now, it’s to be politically engaged.
“I know when people hear the word politics, they’re like, ‘ugh,’” he says. “Cable news is very exhausting. I get that. But things are happening, whether we are there or not. Continue to be engaged. I try to practice what I preach. I serve on my county Farm Bureau board because grassroots policy involvement makes a difference.”
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