The American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors have approved the organization’s priority issues for 2012, following a delegate session at the 93rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.
A total of 370 Farm Bureau delegates from across the country and all sectors of the agriculture industry met earlier this week to discuss the 2012 farm bill and develop a priority agenda. The AFBF Board of Directors then approved the priority issues on Jan. 11. Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Mike Spradling said the new list of adopted policies addresses the concerns of farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma and beyond.
“The basic philosophy of Farm Bureau’s farm bill policy is still in tact and is still intended to serve as a safety net for farmers,” he said.
Due to federal budget constraints, Spradling said AFBF opposed the idea of direct payments for farmers and also took action to remove the Systemic Risk Reduction Program title from its farm bill proposal.
“What we’re looking at is the broader picture now,” Spradling said. “Even without the SRRP title, we still have all of those integral pieces of the program we feel are important to farmers and ranchers.”
While attending the AFBF Annual Meeting, Spradling was appointed to the 2012 Trade Advisory Committee. He said the farm bill received the most floor time during the delegate session and he was pleased with the outcome of AFBF’s final proposal.
“It keeps farmers in business when times are tough and it’s a safety net for consumers,” he said. The proposal ensures we have a good high-quality, high-quantity food supply for our country and the world.”
AFBF supports the idea of writing the new farm bill as soon as possible. Its list of priority issues include the 2012 farm bill, agriculture labor, immigration reform, youth employment regulations, definition of waters of the U.S., estate taxes and capital gains extension, NPDES pesticide permits, preserving antibiotics access, regulatory reform, rural school funding and Russia WTO accession.
