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AFBF Convention: Labor, rural broadband and trade among the issues debated by delegates
Delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 106th convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2025. Key topics discussed by the delegates ranged from labor to rural broadband to trade.
For the third year, delegates were polled at the beginning of the voting session regarding their farms. The results showed 97% of those who cast votes operate family farms and nearly two-thirds represent small- to mid-size farms as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Today, Farm Bureau demonstrated what truly makes it the voice of American agriculture,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Delegates from each state Farm Bureau and Puerto Rico directly addressed the challenges and opportunities facing farmers and ranchers. The policies they set today give us a roadmap to work with the new administration and Congress to address the needs of rural America. It includes the passage of a new farm bill, enacting regulatory reform and creating new markets for the men and women who are dedicated to keeping America’s pantries stocked.”
A key aspect of Farm Bureau policy is that the process starts at the local level, said INFB President Randy Kron, then rises to the state level, and then to the national level.
“We had almost 350 farmers and ranchers – delegates from across the country – voting on this policy,” Kron said.
Delegates also adopted policy supporting the development and sale of domestically sourced sustainable aviation fuel, including expanding the list of acceptable conservation practices for feedstock eligibility.
They strengthened policy on alternative energy production, including increasing the responsibility of energy companies to manage land used for development, and prioritizing energy production on land not suitable for agriculture.
Recognizing the challenges of maintaining a strong agriculture workforce, delegates voted to stabilize labor costs to avoid drastic swings that put the economic sustainability of farms at risk. They also recommended the AFBF board study potential alternatives to the current Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology used for the H-2A program.
On trade, delegates added policy in support of a United States – Mexico – Canada agreement review process to encourage new opportunities while protecting U.S. agriculture from unfair competition.
Policy on rural broadband was revised to support requiring companies that win broadband loans or grants to quickly complete projects in underserved rural areas. Delegates also directed AFBF to press more forcefully for reform of the current requirements for small-scale meat, dairy and value-added processing facilities.
