Dec. 31, 1997

FARM BUREAU DISCUSSES ISSUES AT ANNUAL CONVENTION

Agriculture in the classroom and the lottery were the two main issues stressed at the 72nd annual convention of the Virginia Farm Bureau at the Richmond Marriott in December, said Chris Parrish, Rappahannock County Farm Bureau president.

The Farm Bureau is looking to the school classrooms to raise appreciation of family farms which comprise the majority of farms in the U.S., said Parrish. A keynote speaker was Jane Shaw, co-author of “Fact Not Fear: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Children

About The Environment.” The book cites examples of false environmental claims presented in textbooks and children’s books.

Meanwhile, the lottery was criticized for spending too much money advertising and not sending money back to the counties, said Parris. Instead, profits are placed in Virginia’s general fund, an issue that upset many farmers.

Farmers have been critical of the state Stewardship Act, said Parrish, which accepts anonymous tips against polluting farmers, and does not state a clear standard for pollution. “They are missing the point — farmers should be policing themselves,” he added. “It is a stop gap against increased policing by environmental groups.”

STEWART WILLIS: AN ALL AROUND NICE GUY

When Steve Critzer was asked to comment on the Rappahannock News choice for 1997 Citizen of the Year he knew who it was before he was told.

“Is it Stewart Willis? It is, isn’t it?” he asked. Yes, I answered, it is.

“He’d be my choice for man of the year,” Critzer said. “I know him and I know what he does in and for the community. He’s a leader. People listen to and will follow him.”

Willis, now mayor of the Town of Washington, re-settled in Rappahannock in the early ‘80s. His wife, Eve, was born at Mt. Green, outside Washington, Va., and her family was from the county.