AFBF POLICY

2020 Priorities Established at AFBF Convention D elegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 101st Annual Convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2020 on key topics ranging from dairy to labor and climate change to conservation compliance. “Delegates from across the nation came together to look ahead at issues and opportunities facing farms, ranches and rural communities,” said AFBF Vice President Scott VanderWal. “The 2020 policies ensure we are able to continue producing safe and healthy food, fiber and renewable fuel for our nation and the world.”

Delegates re-elected American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and Vice President Scott VanderWal for their third terms. VanderWal served as chair of the meeting on behalf of Duvall, who is grieving the loss of his wife, Bonnie. Delegates updated labor and immigration policies, emphasizing that we must see significant changes to the H-2A program. While AFBF has had policy in place to ensure an accessible, competitive guest worker program, the updates address problems with the adverse effect wage rate and emphasize the importance of year-round program access to all of agriculture. AFBF looks forward to working with Congress on efforts that align with these policy objectives.

After a year-long process to review ways to modernize Federal Milk Marketing Orders, AFBF’s delegates voted to support creation of a flexible, farmer- and industry-led milk management system. This includes giving individual dairy farmers a voice by allowing them to vote independently and confidentially on rules governing milk prices. When combined, the new dairy policies will form a strong foundation to guide the organization during future reform efforts to better coordinate milk supply and demand in the U.S.

There are significant new policies on conservation compliance. Delegates called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to significantly improve program transparency and due process for farmers. They specifically prioritized changes in USDA’s processes for wetland delineations and the appeals process. Delegates also adopted a new policy supporting the repeal of Swampbuster provisions. The changes highlight growing frustration with conservation compliance practices within the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Delegates voted to support allowing a higher THC level in hemp, giving AFBF staff the flexibility to engage in discussions with regulators about the appropriate legal level, and to increase the window of time farmers are allowed to conduct THC testing, acknowledging the questions about how the testing process will work and the potential for backlogs.

New policies are on the books supporting science-based climate change research and the documentation of agriculture’s tremendous advances toward climate-smart practices. Delegates also made clear they want federal climate change policy to reflect regional variations, and they oppose a state-by-state patchwork of climate change policies.

Beyond policy changes, delegates also elected members to serve on the AFBF board of directors and national program committees.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall and Vice President Scott VanderWal were re-elected to two-year terms.

David Fisher, president of New York Farm Bureau (Northeast Region); Shawn Harding, president of North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation (Southern Region); and Randy Kron, Indiana Farm Bureau (Midwest Region) were elected to fill one-year terms on the AFBF Board of Directors. Thirteen other state Farm Bureau presidents were re-elected to two-year terms to represent their regions on the board. Midwest Region Carl Bednarski, Michigan Blake Hurst, Missouri Steve Nelson, Nebraska Northeast Region Rick Ebert, Pennsylvania Ryck Suydam, New Jersey Southern Region Mark Haney, Kentucky John Hoblick, Florida Harry Ott, South Carolina Jimmy Parnell, Alabama Wayne Pryor, Virginia Rich Hillman, Arkansas Western Region Bryan Searle, Idaho Ron Gibson, Utah National Program Committees

Morgan Norris of Florida was elected as the new chair of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee for a one-year term. She also will serve a one-year term on the AFBF Board of Directors.

Vickie Bryant of Kentucky, Dotty Jensen of Utah and Margaret Gladden of Indiana were elected to two-year terms on the Women’s Leadership Committee. Jennifer Cross of Maryland was re-elected to a two-year term.

AFBF Convention Puts Focus on Future

The 101 st American Farm Bureau Annual Convention was held January 17-22 in Austin, Texas. A trade show, workshops and some high-level guest speakers were some of the highlights of the event.

On January 19, for the third consecutive year, President Donald Trump addressed Farm Bureau members at the Austin Convention Center.

The President celebrated recent trade wins including the signing of the Phase 1 trade deal with China and congressional approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement when he took the stage.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue addressed the convention attendees twice. Once to introduce the President and again for the closing session on January 20.

In addition, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) received the Distinguished Service Award and gave remarks during the General Closing Session.

The final day of workshops at the AFBF Annual Convention put a focus on the role farmers will play in connecting with consumers on sustainability in agriculture and new technologies like gene editing. Sustainability in Animal Agriculture - Moving Beyond Buzzwords to Action A trio of workshop speakers unpacked sustainability as a buzzword – what it means to animal agriculture and meat producers. With interest in the sustainability of meat continuing to grow, it’s important now more than ever for farmers and others engaged in animal protein production or processing to engage with consumers through shared values, noted Sarah Little, vice president of communications at the North American Meat Institute.

“Shared values are more important to building trust than sharing facts or demonstrating technical expertise,” Little said. She also pointed out that consumers’ thinking about sustainability continues to evolve. “Consumers are shifting responsibility for sustainability away from themselves and more toward large companies and governments.”

President Donald Trump addressed Farm Bureau members.

Sen. Pat Roberts received the Distinguished Service Award.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue toured the trade show.

Translating Sustainability to ROI

Dr. Randy Brown from WinField United discussed the opportunities and potential increase in profits of moving the industry to more sustainable farming. Eighty-three percent of consumers now consider sustainability when buying food. Dr. Brown introduced new technology from Truterra, a subsidiary of Land O’ Lakes. Truterra’s Insight Engines gives farmers access to precise data on soil health, erosion and yields. This technology could allow farmers to provide sustainably sourced crops while increasing profitability. Finding the Right Hemp Seed a Challenge for Farmers In a workshop titled ‘Laws, Regs & Other Considerations When Buying Hemp Seed,’ Pat Miller, director of state affairs for the American Seed Trade Association, gave an overview of what growers need to know to ensure they get the specific quality and type of seed that meets their needs.

“Before buying seed, decide what it’s for, whether it’s for seed, oil, feed or food fiber,” Miller said. “Ask sellers for references and ask your neighbor if they have a seed variety they really like.”

It’s also important to know where the seed was grown, Miller said. “If you’re buying seed produced in Kentucky and trying to grow it in Arizona, it may not work.”

Miller said genetics are still imperfect, but new hybrids are coming. “There’s talk about breeding out THC, which would basically solve all our problems, and certified CBD varieties will be available in the next few years. I really think that in three years a lot of the issues we are having with hemp will go away,” he said. Building Trust in Gene Editing is Next Step for Agriculture

Gene editing can deliver significant advances for agriculture, but the challenge will be to build consumer trust in the technology. The best way to connect with consumers who have no connection to agriculture is to identify how progress from gene editing aligns with their values, according to Roxi Beck of the Center for Food Integrity. Beck says highlighting the benefits for the environment, nutrition and animal well-being resonate the most with consumers.

“The best opportunity we have to ensure that consumers hear us is to enter the conversation in a way that helps them understand we are on their side, we care about the same things they are thinking about, and ultimately this is a technology that can deliver on all the promises we are looking for, both as agriculturalists, but also as consumers,” said Beck. Next Wave in Ag Technology Soon to be in the Field Farm technology innovation will focus on automation, coupled with the power of artificial intelligence, according to Ohio State University Dr. Scott Shearer and Chad Colby, owner of Colby AgTech.

With nearly 30 types of autonomous tractors nearing some form of commercial production and the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology that’s being miniaturized and made cost-effective and accessible, farmers are going to be considering how and when purchasing these tools will be practical for them.

But it’s not about lab-perfect technology installed in equipment in the field, Shearer cautioned, “You’ve got to keep it in the field, and you’ve got to keep it moving.”

As for when to make a move toward new technology, Shearer said the best time is just as people are figuring out how to make money from it. If a farmer waits until it’s widely adopted, they’ll be forced to buy it just to remain competitive.

Colby emphasized that automation and other agriculture innovations are very close to being realized.

“This isn’t concept. This is coming,” according to Colby, who said ever-improving unmanned aircraft systems and datacollecting planes also will be tools farmers are soon using. To listen to these sessions or the keynote speakers visit, fb.org/newsroom/afbf-annual-convention-focuses-onconnecting-with-consumers-innovation.

2020 Policy Book Available Online

Want to know where Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation stands on an issue? The 2020 policy book is available at wfbf.com. The document reflects the most recent policy directives established by voting delegates at the 100 th WFBF Annual Meeting in December. "Our Farm Bureau members on the local level establish the organization's policy," said Joe Bragger, WFBF President. "These grassroots-generated policies address agricultural topics like transportation, land and water stewardship, regulatory overreach and private property rights."

"We want this information to be easily accessible to our members and the decisionmakers who have a role in agriculture's future," Bragger added.

To view the policy book online, visit wfbf.com/policy/policy-development.