Farm Bureau Re-elects President Zippy Duvall, Sets Agenda for 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 9, 2018 – Delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention today unanimously re-elected AFBF President Zippy Duvall. Delegates also approved measures to help assure a prosperous agricultural and rural economy in the coming year and beyond. Resolutions approved by farmer and rancher delegates from across the nation ran the gamut of issues, from trade to regulatory reform, crop insurance, biotechnology and more. “Today’s actions give us a clear roadmap at a time when farmers are on the verge of their fifth consecutive year of shrinking net farm income,” Duvall said. “Despite these difficulties, we remain optimistic: Official Washington feels more like a partner than it did just a short time ago. We have real opportunities to make progress in policy that we have not had in the past.” Among other things, delegates approved measures supporting: • An improved Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program to decrease risk-management disparities across counties • A flexible cotton support program that considers cotton seed, cotton lint or both to help beleaguered cotton growers • Strengthened and more flexible risk management and safety-net programs for dairy farmers • Permission for workers to seek employment from more than one farmer under the H2A program • Trade and trade agreements that strengthen market opportunities for U.S. agriculture • Elimination of sunset provisions in trade agreements, to give certainty to businesses into the future • Modification of NAFTA to improve market access to difficult Canadian dairy markets, in addition to improved food-safety standards for imported products • An end to use of non-GMO labels on products that do not have GMO alternatives • A $1 per member increase in dues paid by state affiliates of the American Farm Bureau Federation • Support for the use of gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR, along with a voluntary and uniform labeling program for such products

Farm Bureau Elects New Grassroots Leaders

NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 9, 2018 – Delegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention elected members to serve as board and committee leaders for the organization. AFBF President Zippy Duvall and Vice President Scott VanderWal were re-elected to two-year terms. Bryan Searle, president of Idaho Farm Bureau, and Ron Gibson, president of Utah Farm Bureau, were elected to two-year terms on the AFBF board of directors, representing the Western Region. Hans McPherson, president of Montana Farm Bureau, was elected to a one-year term, representing the Western Region. Rodd Moesel, president of Oklahoma Farm Bureau, was elected to a one-year term, representing the Southern Region. Twelve other state Farm Bureau presidents were re-elected to two-year terms to represent their regions on the board: Carl Bednarski, Michigan; Jim Holte, Wisconsin; Blake Hurst, Missouri; and Steve Nelson, Nebraska (Midwest Region); Mark Haney, Kentucky; John Hoblick, Florida; Harry Ott, South Carolina; Jimmy Parnell, Alabama; Wayne Pryor, Virginia; and Randy Veach, Arkansas (Southern Region); and Rick Ebert, Pennsylvania and Ryck Suydam, New Jersey (Northeast Region). Russell Kohler of Utah was elected the new chair of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee for a one-year term, which makes him a member of the AFBF board of directors. Elected to two-year terms on the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee were Cindy Ramsey, Indiana; Jennifer Cross, Maryland; and Lou Nave, Tennessee. Lillian Ostendorf of Montana was re-elected to a two-year term on the committee. AFBF’s 100th Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show will be held in New Orleans, Jan. 11-16, 2019.