Oregonians for Food and Shelter

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Frn.png

This article is part of the Food Rights Network, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy. Find out more here.

Oregonians for Food and Shelter (OFS), which was founded in 1980, describes itself as a "grass roots coalition which works to protect the rights of natural resource based businesses in Oregon."[1]

OFS brought in $792,618 in total revenue, spent $870,149 in total expenses, and retained $34,465 in net assets in the fiscal year that ended December 31, 2013.[2]

On an archived version of its website, OFS states was initially founded to "do battle with activists seeking an initiative to ban the aerial application of forest herbicides."[1]

OFS successfully pushed the Oregon legislature to enact a state override of local GMO bans in Oregon in 2014 (via a bill that then became an American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) "model" bill). OFS lobbyist John DiLorenzo reportedly took credit for having drafted the bill and testified on its behalf.[3]

OFS also successfully pushed to pass ALEC's "Right to Farm Act" in the state more than 20 years earlier.[4]

About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

Lobbying

In its 2013 IRS filing, OFS reported spending $202,584 on lobbying that fiscal year.[2] It reported the same to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC).[5] It reported (to the OGEC) spending only $25,518.16 in 2014.[6]

OFS' lobbyists have included Scott Dahlman (its current executive director), John DiLorenzo, Paulette Pyle (its "Director of Grassroots"), John F. Watt, and Terry Witt, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics.[7]

Political Contributions

OFS (and/or its PAC and/or employees) gave $106,677 to Oregon political candidates in 2014 -- more than it had ever given in any previous year since 2000 -- according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics.[8]

OFS gave the largest amount -- $26,908 -- to the "Good Neighbor Farmers" PAC.[9] OFS and the Good Neighbor Farmers PAC fought the successful efforts of Jackson County, Oregon voters to ban GMOs in the county in 2014.

Proponents of the ballot measure to ban GMOs -- the "Our Family Farms Coalition" -- reported that the PAC was "funded by out-of-county corporations and special interests that do not live in Jackson County... They have shattered all county campaign finance records and have received more than 97% of their funding from outside our county."[10]

Indeed, the PAC's largest contributions came from Monsanto Company ($183,294.10 on April 3, 2014) and DuPont Pioneer ($129,647.05 on the same date). The PAC also received $75,00 from Syngenta Crop Protection, $22,352.95 from Bayer CropScience, $22,352.95 from BASF Plant Science, and $22,352.95 from Dow AgroSciences on that date, according to the Oregon Secretary of State.[11]

OFS also contributed $9,1200 to the "No on 92 Coalition" to oppose the unsuccessful ballot campaign to label GMOs in Oregon in 2014, according to the Secretary of State.[12]

Funders

OFS is not legally required to disclose its donors, but because some of its funders have to disclose groups they fund, it is verifiable that OFS received $10,000 in funding from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA, a trade group representing such companies as Campbell Soup Company, Kraft Foods, and Pepsi) in 2013[13] and $5,000 from CropLife America (a chemical and pesticide manufacturers' trade group) in 2009.[14]

Personnel

Katie Fast -- formerly the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation's Vice President of Public Policy -- was named OFS' executive director in February 2015. According to OFS, "Katie will officially begin her transition to OFS on February 9, 2015. Due to her important position with Oregon Farm Bureau during the legislature, Fast will split time between the two organizations until the 2015 session adjourns. During this transition period, Katie will manage the daily activities and functions of OFS, while lobbying at the Oregon State Capitol on agricultural issues for Oregon Farm Bureau."[15]

As of April 2015, OFS' website listed the following top personnel[16] (2013 compensation from OFS and IRS-designated related organizations listed parenthetically from OFS' 2013 IRS filing):[2]

  • Scott Dahlman, Executive Director ($111,182)
  • Paulette Pyle, Lobbyist ("Director of Grassroots") ($142,408)
  • Diann Washburn, Office Manager

Terry Witt is OFS' former executive director.

Board of Directors

As of April 2015:[17]

  • Doug Hoffman (WILCO – Winfield, LLC), 2014 Chairman (former Vice-Chairman)[2]
  • Ted Reiss (Seneca Jones Timber Company), 2014 Vice-Chairman (former Secretary/Treasurer)[2]
  • Barry Bushue (Oregon Farm Bureau Federation), 2014 Secretary/Treasurer

AGRICULTURE & FOOD PROCESSORS:

  • Barry Bushue, Oregon Farm Bureau Federation
  • James Curry, Northwest Food Processors Association
  • Mark Dunn, J.R. Simplot Company
  • John Enright, KWS Seed
  • Jean Godfrey, Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
  • Mike Iverson, Oregon Fresh Market Growers Association
  • Jerry Marguth, Oregon Seed Council
  • Blake Rowe, Oregon Wheat Growers League
  • George Smith, NORPAC Foods, Inc.

FORESTRY & WOOD PRODUCTS:

  • Jerry Anderson, Hancock Timber Resource Group
  • Luke Bergey, Miami Corporation
  • Andy Bryant, Yamhill Environmental Services
  • Mike Fahey, Columbia Helicopters, Inc.
  • Eric Geyer (Roseburg Forest Products), Immediate Past Chairman[2]
  • Jake Gibbs, Lone Rock Timber Management Company
  • David Hampton, Hampton Affiliates
  • Chris Jarmer, Oregon Forest Industries Council
  • Greg Miller, Weyerhaeuser Company
  • Ted Reiss, Seneca Jones Timber Company

CHEMICAL, PROFESSIONAL APPLICATORS, RIGHT OF WAY:

  • Bruce Alber (Wilbur-Ellis Company)
  • Curt Dannen, Crop Production Services, Inc.
  • Lisa Drake, Monsanto Company
  • Debbie Ego, Rasmussen Spray Service
  • Danelle Farmer, Syngenta Crop Protection
  • Cindy Finlayson, Umatilla Electric Cooperative, Inc.
  • Jim Fitzgerald, Far West AgriBusiness Association
  • Doug Hoffman, WILCO – Winfield, LLC
  • Rick Krohn, Pacific NW Aerial Applicators Alliance
  • Marion Haynes, Portland General Electric
  • David Phipps, OR Golf Course Superintendents Association
  • Kent Pittard, DuPont
  • April Snell, Oregon Water Resources Congress
  • Bryan Stuart, Western Regional Alliance

Former Boardmembers

As of December 2013:[2]

Contact Details

3415 Commercial Street SE
Suite 100
Salem, Oregon 97302
Phone: 1-503-370-8092
Fax: 1-503-370-8565
Website: http://www.ofsonline.org/

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch Articles

Related PRWatch Articles

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oregonians for Food and Shelter, OFS History, organizational website, archived by the WayBack Machine July 4, 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Oregonians for Food and Shelter, 2013 IRS Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, July 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Rebekah Wilce, Oregon's GMO Sellout, PRWatch, May 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Rebekah Wilce, Oregon Residents Challenge the State "Right-to-Farm" Law, PRWatch, September 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Lobbying: 2013 Client/Employer Expenditures, state governmental agency website, accessed April 2015.
  6. ↑ Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Lobbying: 2014 Client/Employer Expenditures, state governmental agency website, accessed April 2015.
  7. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, Oregonians for Food & Shelter: Lobbying information: All Lobbyists, FollowTheMoney state political influence database, accessed April 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, OREGONIANS FOR FOOD & SHELTER contributions to candidates and committees in elections in 2014, FollowTheMoney state political influence database, accessed April 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, OREGONIANS FOR FOOD & SHELTER contributions to candidates and committees in elections in 2014: By filer, FollowTheMoney state political influence database, accessed April 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ Our Family Farms Coalition, Who's the Opposition?, organizational website, accessed April 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Transaction Search Results: Good Neighbor Farmers Contributions Received, state governmental agency website, accessed April 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, Transaction Search Results: Oregonians for Food & Shelter Contributions Made, state governmental agency website, accessed April 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ Grocery Manufacturers Association, 2013 IRS Form 990, trade association's annual IRS filing, May 12, 2014.
  14. ↑ CropLife America, 2009 IRS Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, November 5, 2010, p. 27.
  15. ↑ Oregonians for Food and Shelter, Oregonians for Food-Shelter gets new director, organizational press release, February 13, 2015.
  16. ↑ Oregonians for Food and Shelter, About Us, organizational website, accessed April 21, 2015.
  17. ↑ Oregonians for Food and Shelter, Board of Directors, organizational website, accessed April 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ Ron Borisch, LinkedIn profile, accessed April 21, 2015.
  19. ↑ Brendan McCarthy, LinkedIn profile, accessed April 21, 2015.
  20. ↑ Carol Russell, LinkedIn profile, accessed April 21, 2015.
Retrieved from "https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Oregonians_for_Food_and_Shelter&oldid=788524"