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FOREST RESERVE DISCUSSION & DEBATE!! (Renamed)

Just saw this on Facebook, wow!

Can a John Deere 5M push over trees?
 

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Just saw this on Facebook, wow!

Can a John Deere 5M push over trees?
It can!!!! My 5103 cleared some junk & pushed pretty big trees back in the day ;).

Here’s the irony…. FB is looking for conservation farmer of the year? Hey guys- come look at my farm!! U won’t find one run & conserved to this level in the state. The irony is- during the sub commitee senate meeting last week- my whole time & points were REFUTING the points that FARM BUREAU made!!!! They made about 10 points on why we need to tax folks more & eliminate FR…. Every one of their “10 main points” was a complete disaster and farce. Filled with holes. Which I quickly addressed. Heck, I’m not gonna be the judge & maybe SOME there do respect conservation …. It was not demonstrated last week at the capitol.
 
Should we know the outcome of this sometime this week?
Here’s my GUT…. FB came in with an army…. Everyone else was against them. It appeared like “everyone is for the bill” as 5 billion farm bureau folks got to spew illogical talking points. Then…. We got a chance to expose the garbage they started off with. I think the good guys punched enough holes in it to keep it from passing this year. I think it’ll be back next year. That’s my guess. Which- if that’s the case - we got our work cut out for us BUT- it’s a win that it didn’t pass. Had there been no opposition- woulda passed. Luckily - among the orchestra of misinformation by FB- we had sane voices of TRUTH that were heard.
My gut- knocked it hard enough where won’t get passed this round. That’s my GUT. I could be wrong though. No guarantees.
 
Just got this from Sen. Mark Lofgren. Pretty noncommittal but I'm not surprised. Does anyone know if his comment about not knowing of it is moving forward or not is accurate?

John,
Thanks for your email regarding HF 2672. I've been asking those who should be in the know on this for an update and haven't gotten anyone to commit one way or another whether this legislation will be moving forward or not. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns and will keep them in mind if this legislation does move forward.
Best regards,
Mark
 
Those boys from the farm bureau got to the capital and saw Skip standing there. They said oh crap boys, we have a fight on our hands today...:p
 
I’d guess this bill COULD pass at a lower tax rate this year. Like- $2-4 per acre. It’s not near as bad as it could have been. I clearly believe in conservative/conservation economics… tax what u want less of. Subsidize what u want more of. Clearly subsidies are out of hand but we need not be taxing folks more who want to keep the sliver of timber we have left & at a time when they all had their prop taxes explode & every other cost with inflation that’s hurting rural areas. BUT…. If this is the worst, it’s not horrible We shall see. Will keep posted what shakes out.
 
I just got this update email from the IBA Looks like we won.

I Want to personally thank Skip for everything he does, this has to take a lot of his time and even money to help defend all this.

As the 2024 legislative session comes to a close, the Iowa Bowhunters Association wants to thank everyone for their active participation and grassroots efforts this year. Please review our achievements below and join us in celebration of protecting, defending, and promoting bowhunting in Iowa.
The collective efforts of our members resulted in the successful passage of a bill to increase fines for trespassers, a measure to uphold the integrity of our hunting grounds and ensure the safety of our fellow bowhunters. Additionally, our commitment to conserving our natural resources halted a bill that aimed to eliminate the state's forest reserve program.
We were also able to defend three bills that would have only benefited nonresident hunters. All the bills would of had a negative impact on Iowa Bowhunters.
Our collective voice also played a pivotal role in defeating the bill that sought to restrict the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from acquiring land. By defeating this proposal, we have ensured the continued accessibility of public lands in Iowa for all to enjoy.
Your dedication and your willingness to take action made a tangible difference during this legislative session. As we celebrate our achievements, let us also remain vigilant and steadfast in our commitment to advancing the interests of bowhunters across our state.
Please encourage everyone you know that bow hunts in Iowa to be a member of the IBA. Our membership is what allows the IBA to protect, defend, and promote the sport of archery and bowhunting in Iowa.
Thanks again for your support!​
 
I just got this update email from the IBA Looks like we won.

I Want to personally thank Skip for everything he does, this has to take a lot of his time and even money to help defend all this.

As the 2024 legislative session comes to a close, the Iowa Bowhunters Association wants to thank everyone for their active participation and grassroots efforts this year. Please review our achievements below and join us in celebration of protecting, defending, and promoting bowhunting in Iowa.
The collective efforts of our members resulted in the successful passage of a bill to increase fines for trespassers, a measure to uphold the integrity of our hunting grounds and ensure the safety of our fellow bowhunters. Additionally, our commitment to conserving our natural resources halted a bill that aimed to eliminate the state's forest reserve program.
We were also able to defend three bills that would have only benefited nonresident hunters. All the bills would of had a negative impact on Iowa Bowhunters.
Our collective voice also played a pivotal role in defeating the bill that sought to restrict the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from acquiring land. By defeating this proposal, we have ensured the continued accessibility of public lands in Iowa for all to enjoy.
Your dedication and your willingness to take action made a tangible difference during this legislative session. As we celebrate our achievements, let us also remain vigilant and steadfast in our commitment to advancing the interests of bowhunters across our state.
Please encourage everyone you know that bow hunts in Iowa to be a member of the IBA. Our membership is what allows the IBA to protect, defend, and promote the sport of archery and bowhunting in Iowa.
Thanks again for your support!​
I got the email too..Great news for Iowa hunters! We owe Skip a big thanks for all his effort in fighting the bad bills..I donated money to help fight against the bad bills and will do the same next year.
 
I got the email too..Great news for Iowa hunters! We owe Skip a big thanks for all his effort in fighting the bad bills..I donated money to help fight against the bad bills and will do the same next year.
^^^^^THIS is your $ at work!!!! No other donation or organizations are doing what IBA & ISC are!!!! Goes directly to the fight for hunters and probably one of the most effective & efficient donations anyone could make!!! Thanks to all that support these 2 amazing groups. What I owe IBA is “priceless” as they have kept iowa great while other states were steamrolled. Every experience each fall- I can’t forget which organization allowed this to happen!! My pleasure & duty to be a humble servant for the younger generation + everyday hunter & fragile environment.
This bill will be back next year but ISC & IBA will be working on it before it gets proposed again. Thanks all!!!! Our forests, kids, wildlife & everyday tax paying citizens all thank you!!
 
IBA,, ISC, and SKIP keep on winning in Des Moines! You all should be extremely proud of what you've done over the last two sessions especially. I'm just proud to simply be an IBA and ISC member.

I would also encourage everyone to know when their representatives are having public forums. My wife and I attended a "coffee talk" in town a few months back and discussed the public land and forest reserve bills. Personally, I didn't like their answers and let them know so but that's another topic. Emails are good, phone calls are better, and personal interaction trumps all!
 
Is this the third year in a row of them coming after the timber reserve program?
This is at least 5th year.
Farm bureau + county supervisors got very aggressive this round
It’s obvious the supervisors want more tax $. Their hunger for more $ & more spending will NEVER end. Period.
FB on the other hand…. I’m truly trying to understand their deep motives on why they want it. Not what they say but truly why they want it ended. IMHO- my best guess is this…
1) SOME farmers hate trees. HATE EM!!! These are the guys that push out every last one & farm to the creeks. Plenty of them & that drives policy. Trees suck away water & nutrients and also house Wildlife - all taking away from corn & soybean yields. Is it a huge amount in big picture? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Tiny!!!!! But - greed pushes people to take that very last drop!!! They detest trees and the tiny yield losses that come with them. & yes, most of the complainers are from big ag regions in the state with under 1% timber left in their counties. Cause u have to have that last bit of corn & soybeans and NOTHING ELSE!! It’s all about that last dollar, IMO
2) some at FB really think this timber is on “80 csr dirt” & is taking away farm land. They truly don’t realize it’s on JUNK csr & no one should be farming. It’s pure ignorance there.
3) IMO- they feel like hunters are getting a freebie while farmers pay the bills. Over A third of FR is held by FB members. They don’t understand that only <8% of state is timber. Over 90% of FR holders pay huge taxes on tillable. They don’t realize they want to raise taxes on their members. The same members that just saw huge property tax increases.
They dont know or don’t care about water quality issues. Erosion. Balanced ecosystems. Diversity (the world should be one big corn bean rotation). They don’t care about the HUGE hunting economy. Wildlife. On & on. On this issue- FB disgusts me with all due respect.
 
I was recently approved for a nice CSP program put together by an Iowa forester and an Iowa Private Lands Biologist. I’ve completed quite a few projects for my forest (small) and habitat. We’ve removed trees, planted trees, improved trees. It makes no sense to me that some are pushing these Forest Reserve changes and other related programs.
Actually, since it’s all about money, I guess I sorta understand the motives. But some of these are just plain stupid in my opinion.
These guys should have lunch one day and try harder to work together.
 
So year 6 is almost a given. We need to start our efforts earlier and maybe somehow go on the offensive?
To that point ^^ specifically...how many know that farmers, and lets face it, the real driver here is the Farm Bureau, are able to purchase many, many items without sales tax being applied to the transaction. I dunno about you...but nearly everything I buy I pay sales tax on it. Why are we subsidizing farmers and not say, accountants, plumbers, engineers, etc, etc, etc?

Knowing full well the power of the FB and the roots of agriculture in this state, I say it's high time that the rest of us start punching them in the nose and leveling things up. I am tired of farmers getting breaks that the rest of us don't...

Kinda serious here.
 
To that point ^^ specifically...how many know that farmers, and lets face it, the real driver here is the Farm Bureau, are able to purchase many, many items without sales tax being applied to the transaction. I dunno about you...but nearly everything I buy I pay sales tax on it. Why are we subsidizing farmers and not say, accountants, plumbers, engineers, etc, etc, etc?

Knowing full well the power of the FB and the roots of agriculture in this state, I say it's high time that the rest of us start punching them in the nose and leveling things up. I am tired of farmers getting breaks that the rest of us don't...

Kinda serious here.
Thought of this exact same thing!!!!!! I pay zero sales tax on: tractors, farm supplies, seed, fertilizer, fuel, etc etc!!!! Because I’m a “farmer”. “I’m not paying my fair share”…. Right? I AM RIGHT!!!! Now- let’s see what farm bureau would say if the compromise was: tax the little bit of forest we have left AND …. APPLY SALES TAX ON AG ITEMS!!!!! U know how fast their view would change? Their view would changed in less than 1 second.
This situation above my friends…. That’s called hypocrisy & chrony-capitalism!!!! FB wants it both ways. Why I had to think deeper on their motives. One of their stances was “forest owners should pay their fair share”.
 
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