On the American Farm Bureau annual meeting blog is a nice video interview that Janice Person (@JPLovesCotton) did with Hawaii Farm Bureau president Dean Okimoto, a farmer on Oahu who mainly grows baby greens, herbs and specialty vegetables for restaurants in Oahu or to sell through farmers’ markets. Dean talks with Janice about agriculture in Hawaii, which mainly features small …
Missouri Rancher New Farm Bureau YF&R Chair
The new chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) committee is a 4th generation cattle producer from Southwest Missouri who is enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of agriculture for his generation and those to come. “I want nothing more than for my children to be the fifth generation on the same property that my …
Farm Bureau’s Thatcher on 2012 Farm Bill
American Farm Bureau Federation Congressional Relations Director Mary Kay Thatcher gives 50-50 odds on getting a new farm bill done in 2012. “It’s going to be a real uphill battle to get it done,” Thatcher said during a farm bill session at the AFBF annual meeting on Sunday. “It’s a goal that’s certainly worth working towards because there’s going to …
AFBF President Addresses Membership
The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation told members gathered for the organization’s 93rd annual meeting Sunday that America’s farmers and ranchers are more productive than ever and are providing a solid economic foundation for our nation. “We are the 1 percent that is producing food and fiber for the other 99 percent,” said Bob Stallman of Texas in …
Hawaii Governor Welcomes Farm Bureau
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie welcomed members of the American Farm Bureau Federation on Sunday with open arms and shared his vision of agriculture for the Aloha State. “You have to have an integrated approach to water, to land and to agriculture,” Abercrombie said, as he talked about the rich Polynesian history of the state and the concept of Ahupuaa – …
Heading out for AFBF Annual Meeting #93
Farmers and ranchers from around the nation are heading to the Aloha State this weekend to “Navigate the Waves of Change” at the 93rd Annual American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting. The event officially gets underway on Sunday morning with the opening general session, with state farm bureau awards and address by AFBF president Bob Stallman. The closing general session …
Thanksgiving Dinner Still a Bargain
Thanksgiving dinner this year will cost more, but it’s still a bargain no matter how you slice it. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased about 13 percent this year. That may seem like a lot, …
Super Committee Heading for Super Failure?
With a deadline looming for the so-called “super committee” to make super cuts in the federal budget, all signs are pointing to a super failure. The committee was charged with making cuts that ideally would mean a new Farm Bill and that was a major topic of discussion with farm group representatives at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting …
Farm Bureau Says FCC Must Test Technical Fixes for GPS
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and an independent technical company must complete comprehensive and rigorous testing on all proposed technical fixes to ensure there is no interference between broadband and GPS signals that could be created by a broadband network being developed by LightSquared. “It is critical that costs for resolving this issue …
AFBF Elects Potts as Executive Vice President
Julie Anna Potts is the new executive vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. The AFBF board of directors elected Potts last week to succeeds Dick Newpher who retired after 19 years of service with AFBF, the last seven as executive vice president. Newpher previously worked 19 years with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau in various capacities. In her new …