Our Town wants to expand our readers’ familiarity with the views of candidates on the November ballot for District 18 representative in the state legistlature.
In this edition we publish the response to the last of three questions. Responses from challenger Jim Gilbert and incumbent Vic Gilliam are in the candidates’ own words. The prompt was:
What should the legislature do to retain and develop Oregon agriculture? How should we balance environmental and economic interests?
Vic Gilliam
Agriculture represents the foundation of our district’s economy. The health and well-being of this industry is critical to our success so I remain committed to the protection of our valuable farms in our fertile valley.
At the very same time, I proudly stand firm in defense of private property rights. These two fundamentals must be reconciled. I think the bipartisan Big Look Commission will go a long ways towards finding workable compromises between these two priorities.
I am staunchly opposed to regulation of field burning. Oregon also needs a guest worker program, in conjunction with the federal government that provides agriculture with a needed work force.
I believe that water policy must be legislated with farmers’ needs in mind. Without access to an abundant and cheap water supply, farmers can’t do their job. My opponent has intentionally tied himself closely to the legislative camp from Portland to Eugene and sadly they do not understand or represent our local farm issues.
I’m grateful to Our Town for these issue prompts and in a previous column I referenced my hydrogen alternative energy initiative. In addition to the energy implications, hydrogen also has a terrific potential by-product, namely local and safe green fertilizer that could cut farmers’ costs in half.
Environmental and economic concerns don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Common sense and environmentally sound policies can attract and spur business in our state. However, be wary that knee-jerk environmental policies don’t hamstring our businesses and economy.
Environmental policy needs to be carefully examined and thoroughly considered from every angle, especially local farms.
There are over 54,000 members of the Oregon Farm Bureau and I am proud to be one of only two Representatives to receive their highest rating and their unqualified endorsement. I am not a farmer. I don’t ride a tractor down Main Street in parades but I do have the record that proves I work for agriculture in the legislature.
Jim Gilbert
Farming is the economic foundation of our District. Farming supports equipment dealers and repair shops, seed and fertilizer businesses, fuel and oil suppliers, restaurants and stores, and many other local businesses and their employees. Farming directly or indirectly provides employment for thousands of people in our District.
Having made my living farming for almost 30 years, I know the issues and challenges we face. We need adequate water supplies to grow our crops, we need a reliable labor supply, we need to continue to find new markets for our farm products, and we need to protect our farmland from uncontrolled development.
As a farmer, I will be a strong voice for agriculture in our District. I will continue to work with other legislators and the Farm Bureau to protect our prime farmland and to change the law that permits destroying fertile farmland to dig gravel pits. We can go to California or Washington to see how uncontrolled urban sprawl has taken thousands of acres of valuable farmland out of production.
I will work to find new water supplies and to provide tax credits and other incentives for water conservation. To move toward energy independence, I support tax incentives for farmers to develop wind and solar power facilities on their land. To provide the research and qualified employees we need, I will fight for better funding for our universities, community colleges, and Extension Service. I will also advocate for incentives to build production facilities and to add value to our farm products, which will increase income for farmers and create more good jobs.
One of the greatest threats to our family farms is the difficulty of passing our land and operations onto our children. To avoid having to sell off the farm, I supported the Farm Bureau and other agriculture organizations in their efforts to obtain estate tax relief for farmers. My opponent, however, voted against this common-sense solution.
We farmers consider ourselves true environmentalists. We know the value of our soil and water. We work to protect our farmland from erosion and to improve its fertility. My nursery is certified Salmon Safe™ because we maintain vegetation buffers along our creek, conserve water and energy by using drip irrigation, and power our tractors and vehicles with bio-diesel made from recycled vegetable oil.
Preserving our farmland provides more natural habitat, reduces stream pollution, and allows us to grow more of our food locally, reducing our use of fossil fuel. Conserving water maintains stream flows and saves energy and money. Using wind, solar, and other alternative forms of energy reduces air pollution and promotes energy independence.
We will share the comments of our district’s State Senate candidates in the Oct. 15 issue of Our Town Life.
