WyFB members experience Big Easy

New Orleans, La. – Traveling to New Orleans for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention provided 13 Wyoming Farm Bureau members an opportunity to sample Creole cuisine, learn about sugarcane, meet farmers from all across the United States and see President Donald Trump.

The President of the United States made his second appearance in as many years to the AFBF Convention because, as he started out his talk, “I like farmers.”  

He promised attendees that his administration would continue to work on the issues that matter most to rural America. 

Trump talked extensively about keeping America safe by building a wall on its southern border, noting that, as president, the defense of the nation is his top priority. He explained that he’s not against immigration – he knows farmers need help from immigrants, but people need to come into the country legally.

U.S. successes

Additionally, Trump pointed out successes during his presidency, including tax reform and the fact that the death tax has virtually been eliminated. He gave kudos for passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which included crop insurance, and he listened to farmers and ranchers and was successful in killing the Waters of the U.S. Rule so farmers can get back to farming.

Although trade wars have been detrimental to agriculture, Trump stated that the administration is finding fair trade deals for America and noted that the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement is exceedingly better for farmers and ranchers than North American Free Trade Agreement. He pointed out new trade deals in the works, such as the ones with Korea, Argentina and Japan.

“To all the farmers attending here today and across the U.S., the greatest harvest is yet to come. The future for America’s farmers is bolder and brighter than ever before,” he told the 6,000 Farm Bureau members.

Leadership

AFBF President Zippy Duvall addressed the convention in the Opening Session. 

As AFBF heads toward a new century of service to America’s farm and ranch families, Duvall said the organization will “continue to be guided by the honorable principle that farmers want to feed people.”

“That job is not without challenges, such as the weather disasters, economic challenges and trade complications seen in 2018,” he said, noting that 2018, despite its troubles, was also a year marked by big victories on issues affecting farm and ranch families across the nation.

“Most of us are happy to see 2018 in the rear-view mirror, but on the policy front, 2018 could go down in our history as a huge success story,” Duvall told the farmers and ranchers gathered in New Orleans, La. for the organization’s centennial meeting.

The list of victories starts with tax reform, which lowered tax rates for almost every farmer and rancher. That effort included a doubling of the estate tax exemption for farm families, a long-sought goal of the American Farm Bureau, Duvall said.

Another big win, according to Duvall, was passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which improved risk management tools, protected the availability of crop insurance and provided essential funding for trade development, agricultural research and development, and programs for beginning farmers.

Reform of expensive and overreaching regulations continues to be a bright spot for agriculture. Duvall said the Trump administration has taken 28 deregulatory actions thus far, with about half of those related to agriculture. 

Duvall listed a few of the 50 additional initiatives in the works, such as an exemption for electronic logging devices for livestock haulers and rules governing the renewable fuel E15.

Rebecca Colnar is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.