Gary Truitt’s article on the speech of USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention (Giving in to activist groups, not key to future of farming; Jan. 23, Farm World, page 4) that farmers should reach out and form alliances with other groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was absolutely right.

When you form an alliance or partnership with this type of group, you may as well raise your white flag. Over time, they will gain most, if not all, of what they want and you will gain little – if anything.

We hear this in politics; that we need to work together and usually that mean you compromise your position. When you are working with someone to solve a problem, but the other side has an agenda, it is in your best interest to have a clear line not to cross. The HSUS and many of these activists’ groups – and I would include some political groups – are not trying to solve a problem. They have an agenda or a larger goal in mind and compromising with them just puts them that much closer to reaching their goal.

Thanks, Gary, for informing us on (Vilsack’s) advice to farmers, and on his wife’s run for a seat in Congress – now held by the very able Rep. Steve King. Evidently, the $500,000 the HSUS gave to her campaign was not enough to convince the Iowa voters.