Jan 17, 2017Unity key for agriculture’s continued success
At the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual convention in Phoenix, Ariz., President Zippy Duvall reflected on his first year as president. He pointed to policy wins in getting a GMO labelling bill passed and a Supreme Court victory over the EPA releasing farmers’ private information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Farmers and ranchers made their voice heard during the election, and there are many examples of how agriculture has come together. The biggest challenge will be remaining unified as agriculture moves forward with the next farm bill. “We’ve got to find common ground to make sure that everybody has that safety net that covers them,” Duvall said.
Duvall visited 33 states over the past year to meet with farmers and ranchers and hear about their issues. The 2016 farm economy was difficult, and while there was a lot of politicking going on, there was not a lot of legislation to improve the ag sector.
Duvall is real proud of the rural America’s farmers and ranchers for getting involved in the election process. “What I want them to understand is our job’s not finished,” he said. “We’ve just started this movement. We need to make sure that everybody’s involved and when they get called to action they need to respond and make sure their voices continue to be heard.”
