At this week’s convention, the American Farm Bureau adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2025.

 

“Policy priorities include everything from passing a new farm bill, enacting regulatory reform, and creating new markets for the men and women dedicated to keeping America’s pantries stocked,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.  

 

Recognizing the challenges of maintaining a strong agriculture workforce, delegates voted to stabilize labor costs to avoid drastic swings that put the economic sustainability of farms at risk.  They also recommended the AFBF board study potential alternatives to the current Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology used for the H-2A program. 

 

On trade, delegates added policy in support of a United States—Mexico—Canada Agreement review process to encourage new opportunities while protecting U.S. agriculture from unfair competition.

 

Policy on rural broadband was revised to support requiring companies that win broadband loans or grants to quickly complete projects in underserved rural areas. Delegates also directed AFBF to press more forcefully for reform of the current requirements for small-scale meat, dairy and value-added processing facilities.

 

Delegates also adopted policy supporting the development and sale of domestically sourced sustainable aviation fuel, including expanding the list of acceptable conservation practices for feedstock eligibility.  They also strengthened policy on alternative energy production, including increasing the responsibility of energy companies to manage land used for development and prioritizing energy production on land not suitable for agriculture.

 

Next year’s AFBF Convention will be in Anaheim, CA.

 

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com 

 

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