For Immediate Release
February 1, 2007
Contact:  Lisa Landis
Legislative Assistant
717-787-6709
Back

Senator Brubaker elected to Board of Directors of national agriculture organization

Honor granted during 2007 U.S. Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit

HARRISBURG – State Senator Mike Brubaker (R-36) was elected to the Board of Directors of State Agriculture and Rural Leaders, Inc. during the 2007 U.S. Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit.

The annual Summit brings together state House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairs to discuss critical topics in agriculture and rural development facing state officials. The legislators and agriculture industry representatives who attend come from across the United States as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Canada.

Brubaker was elected by 112 legislative chairs and provincial ministers to serve a two-year term on the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) Board of Directors.

"I am deeply honored to have been selected for this honor by my peers," Brubaker said. "SARL provides a wonderful opportunity each year for us to consider state agriculture policy as part of our national and international vision, and I am pleased that I will be able to take a more active role over the next two years."

SARL acts as a nonpartisan informational resource for its members, and promotes policy solutions to serve the agriculture industry and rural communities. As a member of the SARL Board, Brubaker will be involved with planning and implementing the 2008 Summit, as well as providing direction and assistance on agriculture issues to the other state legislators.

This year's Summit was held January 26-28 in Washington, D.C., and was sponsored by a wide variety of agriculture-related businesses and organizations. Discussions were held on the 2007 Farm Bill, agriculture trade, environmental regulations, food safety, rural development, farm profitability, global warming and entrepreneurship. In addition, the Northeast States Association for Agriculture Stewardship met several times throughout the weekend to address the issues facing the dairy industry, such as MILC payments and issues in the Farm Bill that relate to dairy producers.