Farmers must unite to ward off attacks by radical environmental and animal rights activists, says Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau: “If farmers don’t tell their story, someone else will tell it for them.”

Bushue, who also is vice-president of the National Farm Bureau, spoke Wednesday evening during the annual meeting of the Linn Soil and Water Conservation District held at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center.

In the last century, he said, as the population of the United States shifted from rural to more urban areas, the public lost its link and understanding of agriculture and how food gets to their tables. Farmers now represent only 2 percent of the U.S. population.

Bushue said some of the key issues being monitored by the Farm Bureau include:

• Migratory birds, especially Canada geese, that are devastating Oregon farm crops. Bushue said a statewide task force is being formed to deal with the issue that is extremely costly to farmers.

• Field burning ban. “It’s an assault on our land use policies,” Bushue said. “A very valuable tool has been stripped from your arsenal and it puts a huge industry at risk.”

• Tax measures. The Farm Bureau is fighting issues including taxing small businesses on their gross income, not net income. Farm operations can have large gross incomes, but after expenses, realize only small returns, Bushue said.

• Climate change legislation, which could be devastating to farming. It could create huge cost increases and result in decreased food production, he said.

Other key issues include livestock care standards, mandatory health care, and proposed changes to the Clean Water Act, which Bushue said is an attempt by the federal government to take control of all waters on the state.

But Bushue said the move by some people toward buying locally grown food can be an excellent opportunity for farmers to tell their story, because right now, “the public wants to know who we are.”

During the past year, the Linn Soil and Water Conservation District has helped with conservation plans on 1,900 acres, made 110 site visits with landowners, had 14 conservation articles published, and provided technical assistance to 280 individuals.