Stay Informed

The American Farm Bureau Federation has released its goals for 2018.

Approved in January by the AFBF board of directors following delegate action during the organization’s annual convention, the goals identify the organization’s top public policy issues for 2018.

The action plan goals will serve as the focus of intensive, cross-functional planning and organizational engagement by AFBF throughout 2018. The four top issues are:

• Farm policy: Enact a farm bill in the 115^th Congress that benefits farmers and ranchers, rural communities and food security.
• Immigration reform: Enact immigration reform in the 115^th Congress that helps meet farmers’ and ranchers’ labor needs.
• Regulatory reform: Ensure that federal rules are limited to what is necessary, are supported by science, appropriately balance costs and benefits, are clearly authorized by law, are created in a transparent manner and allow farmers and ranchers to remain productive.
• Trade: Defend and expand trade opportunities for U.S. agriculture.

Also identified were additional “watch-list” issues that will be monitored for developments that warrant increased strategic planning and collaboration. These include:

• Energy: Ensure policy that enhances the availability and affordability of energy for farmers and ranchers and encourages the growth of renewable energy production.
• Infrastructure: Work for greater investment in rural and agricultural infrastructure, including broadband Internet access, rural roads and bridges, inland waterway locks and dams, sea ports and agricultural research.
• Tax reform: Continue working to eliminate the estate tax and monitor implementation of the 2017 tax reform law.

The list is not inclusive of all the issues the organization will address in 2018, as AFBF will continue to look for opportunities to implement actions compatible with the policies set forth by 353 farmer and rancher delegates from across the nation during the annual convention.