Hot Topics in Ag

Food safety

• Share why food safety is important to you. We all feed our families with agricultural products, but not everyone may know the things farmers do to improve food safety.
• Share that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) works to ensure public health regarding meat, poultry and egg consumption.
• Explain the “Test and hold” policy. Before a product is distributed, microbiological testing is performed to ensure the product is safe for consumption.
• Add that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also regulates food safety.
• Finally, highlight the fact that your family consumes the very products you produce.
• A valuable resource to share can be found here: health and safety.

Modern farm technology

• Let people know that technology and the use of digital tools have rapidly modernized farming in the last few decades.
• Let them know how you utilize GPS, sensors, new machines, drones and other new technology on your farm to waste less and be more precise to get the most out of what you use.
• Share how this technology helps us limit our impact on natural resources and grow more food with fewer resources. 
• Explain how technology and other advances have improved animal health.
• A good example of reduced environmental impact may be how precisely crop protection tools can be applied using modern technology.
• A valuable resource can be found here: agriculture technology.

Property tax assessments

• Each year, at the beginning of May, landowners should receive their Notice of Assessment (Form 11) that shows how much the taxable value of their property, both land and structures, has changed from the previous year.
• Make sure to research your parcels to make sure the county assessor used accurate data about the characteristics and features of your property to calculate your assessed value.
• To initiate an appeal of your assessment, you must file a Form 130 Taxpayer's Notice to Initiate an Appeal (State Form 53958) for each parcel. If you file a Form 130, the assessor must meet with you informally to discuss assessment calculations.
• If Notices of Assessment in your county were mailed before May 1, you have until June 15 of that year to file an appeal with the county assessor questioning the new values of your parcels. If your county mailed Notices of Assessment after May 1, you have until June 15 of the following year to file an appeal.

Trade

• Explain that it’s important for farmers to have access to export markets. Farmers in the U.S. and Indiana are very efficient and produce more than they can use and sell here in America.
• Share concerns about the long-term use of tariffs that drive up the cost of important supplies like fertilizer and limit markets for America’s farmers.
• Indiana is the seventh largest agricultural exporter in the nation, exporting just over $7.4 billion in 2022. The top agricultural exports in the state are pork, feed grains, forest products, sugars/sweetners and dairy products.
• Hoosier farmers need trade agreements to be retained and expanded to continue running their operations, and to continue feeding the world.
• Farmers can’t afford disruptions in trade. Farm debt is expected to increase 20% from 2022 to 2025, totaling almost $593 billion.
• For state and commodity-specific trade information visit: USDA.
  

Make America Health Again (MAHA)

• The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its final strategy on Sept. 9, 2025.  In discussions around MAHA, it is important for farmers to express shared interest in improving health outcomes in America while also advocating for a broader dialogue that examines the unintended consequences and potentially harmful effects of some theories and assertions being put forth.
• Share that we all want our families and our communities to be healthy. We share the concerns about cancer and other diseases on the rise.
• To keep affordable, nutritious food on Americans’ tables, farmers need the tools to protect crops and promote sustainability.
• Promoting healthy outcomes begins with ensuring that we have a secure and affordable food supply for all Americans. No one wants changes that end up threatening America’s ability to be food independent. With global unrest, now is not the time to increase our reliance on food imports.
• Taking away current farming tools or mandating certain practices without a science- and safety-based reason to do so risks driving up food prices, causing COVID-like disruptions, and reducing America’s food independence.
  

Farm Bill

• Some people may have questions on what the farm bill is, especially since new policy was expected to be completed by 2023. Now, the farm bill has expired for the third time. Congress modernized some farm programs in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but many important farm bill programs were left out.
• America has lost over 160,000 farms since 2017. Low commodity prices, rising supply costs, inflation and outdated farm policy provisions threaten to put more out of business. 
•  Without swift action to pass a new bill, farm families risk losing access to critical programs ranging from conservation and rural development to research and energy.
• For more information about what all the farm bill includes, visit American Farm Bureau Federation’s website here.
  

Ag labor

• Farmers respect and rely on their employees and are committed to paying a competitive wage and ensuring their safety.
• The mandated wage calculations for H-2A workers outlined in the Adverse Effect Wage Rate make it hard for farmers to stay in business because of dramatic year-over-year increases.
• Labor is among the biggest limiting factors in American agriculture, and the current H-2A program fails to meet the needs of all farmers. Congress should expand H-2A to allow year-round workers for dairy farmers and others who need help all year.
• We must address the labor crisis. Many farmers are reliant on the guest labor force, yet the visa program limitations leave many farmers with no options.
  

Tax reform

• Share how the tax code affects you while managing your farm.
• Explain the practices you use like cash accounting and like-kind exchanges. Share why it is important for you to be able to continue these practices.
• Highlight how the estate tax, including stepped-up basis, impacts farmers and how changes to the estate tax can be detrimental to a farmer’s ability to pass their farm down to the next generation.
• A valuable resource on tax reform can be found here: agriculture and tax reform.
  

Carbon sequestration

• Soil carbon sequestration happens when plants capture and store, or “sequester,” atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the soil. Decaying plant matter, along with the carbon it contains, becomes part of the soil for a period of time before it is broken down by microbes, releasing the carbon back into the atmosphere.
• Subsurface sequestration occurs when a manufacturing facility of any kind captures their CO₂ and injects it below the surface of the earth into geological formations.
• Public concerns about the environment have increased steadily in recent decades, and that’s a good thing! Farmers rely on the land they work to provide for their families, their communities and the world. A good farmer is a good steward of the environment. Most farmers work with the goal of passing their operation down to the next generation, and it is in their best interest to have as little negative environmental impact as possible.
• In the case of surface sequestration, farmers would like contracts to be fair, flexible and consistent. Farmers would like their property rights to be protected and the opportunity to participate in those carbon markets, as well.
• A valuable resource on this topic can be found here: Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• INFB members successfully helped protect landowner property rights in a contested issue involving a carbon sequestration pilot program in Vigo and Vermillion counties during the 2023 Indiana General Assembly.

Rising health care costs

• A lot of farm families struggle to pay for the high cost of health insurance being self-employed.
• In 2020, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation to allow INFB to launch INFB Health Plans, a suite of more affordable health care offerings, including individual or family plans, dental and vision plans, or Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans.
• INFB Health Plans have 7,800 enrolled plans in place as of Oct. 29, 2025. That equates to more than 11,000 Indiana lives covered.
• More information on INFB Health Plans can be found here: INFB Health Plans

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

• GMOs are often another concern of consumers. Acknowledge that you understand why it’s important to them, and then explain the facts around GMOs.
• Share that there are only 10 GMOs available. Those include apples, corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, papaya, potatoes and squash.
• Explain that farmers have been cultivating plants to improve existing crops and create new ones for thousands of years.
• Explain that through selective breeding and genetic engineering, crops can have desired characteristics like pest, drought and disease resistance.
• Share the fact that scientific authorities, such as the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, have confirmed that GMOs are safe to eat.
• Highlight information shared by the Food and Drug Administration that proclaims GMO foods to be “as healthful and safe to eat as their non-GMO counterparts. Some GMO plants have actually been modified to improve their nutritional value.”
• A valuable resource on this topic can be found here: U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  

Soil health and environmental sustainability

• Express a shared concern over conserving land resources. After all, you rely on healthy soil to grow crops and pass your farm down to the next generation.
• Let them know you work hard to limit erosion and maintain optimal nutrient levels in the soil.
• Talk about the ways you strive to protect soil health whether you use cover crops, crop rotation, buffer zones or no-till farming practices.
• An overview of those methods can be found here:  Ways farmers steward the land.
  

Pesticides

• Explain that pesticides are used to protect crops from being damaged by pests. They help maintain or increase yields which, in turn, keeps food costs low.
• Explain that due to technological advances, the application of pesticides has become much more precise, resulting in lower amounts of pesticides used.
• Share how cover crops and GMOs that are pest-resistant are more frequently used today to combat pests.
• Highlight that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the ingredients, frequency of use, the amount of use and the timing of pesticide use.
• A valuable resource on the topic of pesticides can be found here: pesticide registration.
  

Confined Feeding Operations (CFOs)

• To many outside the agricultural community this is a hot-button issue. Start by acknowledging why a person might be concerned with putting animals in large barns.
• Share that barns create a consistent environment for the animals like our homes do for us.
• Explain that farmers are able to monitor animals more closely, ensuring they have access to clean water, good quality feed and a comfortable place to rest.
• Share that collecting nutrients to use on crops can be more precise – using less and getting more use out of what we put on the land.
• Share how new technology allows for safer manure storage and improves odor mitigation.
• Educate the person on the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) role in regulating CFOs.
• Share that there have been laws on these operations in Indiana since 1971, and these laws have been updated numerous times to keep current.
• Explain that these regulations cover design and construction, nutrient management, compliance, and manure handling and storage.
• Let them know that the community has an opportunity to voice their opinions. Before a CFO is approved by IDEM, there is a 33-day comment period for the public.
• Share how zoning laws can give a community say in where these structures are located.
• For valuable information on the topic visit: IDEM.

Antibiotics and growth hormones

• This area of concern is connected to food safety. Try to show empathy and realize that people want to know they’re feeding their family safe products.
• Highlight that antibiotics are used to treat and prevent disease in animals, resulting in a product that is safe to consume.
• Illustrate the strict guidelines farmers must follow to ensure that antibiotics do not remain in the final product distributed to consumers. This process is heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• Explain that farmers use growth hormones to improve feed efficiency and encourage strong and healthy development. There are six approved growth hormones. Some occur naturally and others are synthetic, but all are rigorously tested and vetted by the FDA.
• Again, drive home the fact that you and your family consume the very products you produce.
• More resources on this topic can be found here: Food and Drug Administration.

Animal care

• Start by letting the person know how important animal welfare is to your farm.
• Talk about preventive measures you take to protect animals from sickness.
• Share nutrition plans you may have for your animals.
• Illustrate how you ensure animals have suitable living conditions, including grooved flooring or rubber mats in feeding areas.
• Describe any cooling techniques you may use to keep animals comfortable.
• A source of valuable information can be found here: Animal Ag Alliance.

H5N1 avian influenza in Indiana

• The latest: From Oct. 9 to Nov. 6, 2025, more than 202,000 birds across 18 commercial farms have been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
• The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) first confirmed a case of the H5N1 avian influenza in a commercial turkey farm in Dubois County on Feb. 9, 2022. The farm was put under quarantine and BOAH worked with the industry to increase monitoring of flocks statewide.
• Some signs of avian influenza include sudden death without clinical signs, lack of energy or appetite, decreased egg production, and soft-shelled or misshapen eggs. If you detect signs of avian influenza, you should contact the USDA Healthy Birds Hotline at 866-536-7593.

Proposition 12

• Explain the legislation that California voters passed in 2018 that is commonly referred to as Prop 12. It is a ballot initiative that enacted a law requiring farmers to provide a minimum amount of square feet to egg-laying hens, veal calves and breeding pigs.
• Emphasize the law’s impact on more than just the state of California because a large amount of pork producers across the country ship their products to the state. California consumes 13% of U.S. pork.
• This decision by one state will impact producers all over the country.
• The latest information can be found here: National Pork Producers Council.