As the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention wrapped up yesterday in New Orleans, member delegates adopted policies on key topics such as farm bill implementation, cell-cultured food products, trade, rural broadband access and rural mental health programs.
“As our organization has done for the last 100 years, grassroots delegates from across the nation came together to express a unified voice on issues vital to the success of our farms, ranches and rural communities,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said. “We continue to face a challenging farm economy and we stand ready to work with Congress and the Trump administration to address the issues important to our farm and ranch families.”
Delegates urged the administration and Congress to work together to end the government shutdown as soon as possible. Delegates voted to favor negotiations to resolve trade disputes, rather than the use of tariffs or withdrawal from agreements. They also voted to support the United States’ entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Regarding cell-based food, delegates adopted a comprehensive policy to support innovation in cell-based food products while ensuring a level playing field for traditional protein. The policy also calls for complete and accurate product labels to ensure that consumers have all the pertinent information they need.
Listen to Duvall’s closing remarks to the press – AFBF19 Pres Duvall closing press conference
Press releases, audio downloads, video, and photos from the entire convention can be found in the AFBF Newsroom.