Just as the green dome of Pennsylvaniaâs Capitol is a fixture of the Harrisburg skyline, Vince Phillips has been a fixture under that dome for years as one of the stateâs top agriculture lobbyists.
Phillips retired at the end of 2020, capping a 31-year career in which he helped advance rural broadband for the Pennsylvania State Grange and pushed for legislative changes that were sometimes small but nonetheless valuable to farmers.
Phillips, a mustachioed resident of Mechanicsburg, believes that his often-maligned profession is a key part of civic engagement.
âIn order to really make a difference, you have to advocate something to the people who have the power to change things,â he said.
December 19, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday delivered the keynote address at ASSOCHAM Foundation Week 2020, via video conferencing. The Prime Minister also presented the ‘ASSOCHAM Enterprise of the Century Award’ to Ratan Tata, who received the award on behalf of the TATA Group.
Addressing the gathering the Prime Minister commended the business community for their contribution to nation-building. He said now the industry has complete freedom to touch the sky and urged them to take full advantage of it, put your full strength in the coming years for a self-reliant India, he said.
The Prime Minister said the country today is with Enterprise and Wealth Creators giving opportunities to crores of youth. The Government is continuing efforts to build an efficient and friendly Ecosystem. He urged the industry to ensure that its benefits reach the last mile by bringing reforms within the industry like more inclusion of women and young talent, adopting the best practice
people in your district, farmers looking at these negotiations happening with china next month, frankly are feeling the pain, feeling the hurt who are upset with the president. i talk to them all the time. on the ag committee i m one of the few people actually involved in farming. during the summer break, i met with many farm organizations, many farmers. the thing you ve got to understand about farming is beyond tariffs it is in one of the worst shapes it s been in in years. low prices, high input costs. salt in the wound. salt in the wound. almost every farmer i know knows that the issues impacting agriculture are deeper than tariffs. they want to make sure that with all the effort we put insofar, that we follow through. they also know it could be until november of 2020 until there s resolution. that s where the market facilitation payment came in and they re with him. i talk to them every day. you talk about the weather we had this year on top of it,
supporters of this regulation or restriction said, listen, we actually have to update some of the older regulations that we have when it comes to farms and farm work. do you see any truth to that? do you see that maybe the government in some areas could actually work with farmers to do, to improve upon what is actually in place now? i would encourage the department of labor, as they pursue this topic, to sit down with, come to kansas, accept my invitation and sit down with a family farm. meet a 4-h group. go to high school and see an ffa chapter. sit down with farm bureau and farm commodity and other farm organizations and if you re going to pursue this topic of child safety we re all in agreement about the need to make certain our children are safe but let s have that dialogue. let s make certain the department of labor has an understanding and appreciation of a way of life that has been pretty important in our country and certainly important to us here in rural america. jenna: hope