This month marks the last for Bob Stallman, a 16 year veteran at the helm of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Stallman will be passing the torch during the upcoming 2016 AFBF Annual Convention& IDEAg Trade Show taking place in Orlando, Florida January 8-13, 2016. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) honored Stallman’s efforts today with a brief ceremony …
FB Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge Finals
The Final Four in Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge are making their preparations for when they pitch their business ideas to a team of judges at Farm Bureau’s 97th Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, in January. A live feed of the finals competition will be available starting at 10:45 am Eastern on January 10 at newsroom.fb.org. …
USDA to Honor Bob Stallman
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning a special day of recognition for outgoing American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president Bob Stallman next month. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will proclaim January 6 as Bob Stallman Appreciation Day and present an official proclamation in recognition of Stallman’s commitment to strengthening rural American families and communities. …
Farm Bureau Video Highlights Problems with WOTUS
A new video from Farm Bureau shows just how problematic the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule is. This news release from the group says the story revolves around a farmer who is being cited by the government on the basis of the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial water regulation and how more farmers could be in trouble for doing a …
AFBF Offers Survey to Improve USDA Programs
The American Farm Bureau Federation has launched an online survey to collect feedback from farmers and ranchers about 10 programs being offered from the Agriculture Department. AFBF plans to use the results to create recommendations for the USDA to make its programs better serve growers. Any farmer or rancher is encouraged to take the survey. The process requires about 10 …
Major Farm Organizations Comment on Omnibus
Some major farm groups are offering their thoughts, good and bad, on the omnibus legislation just passed by Congress. American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman found plenty to like in the measures, but had some misgivings on some parts. “America’s farm and ranch families will benefit greatly from the strong, bipartisan congressional passage of important tax relief, funding and …
AFBF and NCGA Comment on Year End Legislation
Farm groups are reacting to the omnibus spending bill that avoided a government shutdown. Just as it’s being touted as giving some to both Republicans and Democrats, the compromise deal has its ups and downs for agriculture, and Farm Bureau and the National Corn Growers Association have both weighed in on those ag ups and downs. Farm Bureau officials are …
Farm Bureau’s “On the Farm Authors” Selected
A dozen authors have been selected to learn more about life on the farm with the hope to turn those experiences into ways to help children learn more about agriculture. The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture says the 12 will receive a $1,500 stipend plus room, meals, tour transportation, event registration and all materials to attend the Jan. 7-10 …
GAO Says EPA Violated Law with WOTUS
In a legal opinion released on Monday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “violated publicity or propaganda and anti-lobbying provisions contained in appropriations acts with its use of certain social media platforms in association with its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rulemaking.” According to the GAO: Specifically, EPA violated the publicity or propaganda …
Supreme Court Urged to Review EPA Clean Water Overreach
A group including members of Congress, state government members, businesses, and ag interests, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review what they see as an overreach by the federal government. This news release from Farm Bureau says the issue is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to micromanage state land-use and development decisions …