Missouri Farm Bureau Announces 2012 Friends of Agriculture
In 1996, Missouri Farm Bureau implemented a new program to recognize members of the Missouri House of Representatives who are supportive of good, sound agricultural policy: Missouri Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture. Read more about the program and find a list of the 2012 recipients.

Missouri Farm Bureau Opposes Soil Dumping into the Missouri River
At a joint public hearing on June 11, 2012, Missouri Farm Bureau (MFB) President Blake Hurst testified before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Missouri Clean Water Commission (MCWC) concerning the Corps’ request for a water quality permit from the MCWC for modifications to the Jameson Island Chute located within the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge to rectify problems with the chute’s current alignment. 

Proposed Crayfish Regulation Would Ban Live Bait Sales
Missouri Farm Bureau has joined the Missouri Aquaculture Association in opposing a Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) proposal to ban sales of live crayfish used for fish bait. 

AFBF Will Oppose Farm Bill Extension
The American Farm Bureau Federation said today that a House proposal to extend the current farm bill for one year fails to move the nation any closer to securing a comprehensive, long-term farm bill and the organization would stand in opposition.

Report Shows Real Harm of Estate Taxes
The American Farm Bureau Federation today said it concurs with a Joint Economic Committee report that details the financial harm posed by estate taxes on family businesses. The JEC, a bipartisan committee composed of members from the House and Senate, issued its report, “Costs and Consequences of the Federal Estate Tax,” earlier today.

A Call to Stop the Flood of Regulation
Burdensome and unnecessary regulations are always a point of contention for farmers and ranchers, especially when we are being flooded with what seems to be never-ending, nonsensical rules. Ag Agenda by Bob Stallman, AFBF President. 

Farm Bureau Presses for Drought Assistance
Missouri farmers face lost crops and are reducing cattle herds that lack forage and water as the drought deepens across the Midwest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken a number of steps to help farmers and Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst reiterated the need for creative ways to continue helping those suffering crop and livestock losses. 

Drought Conditions Worsen
The drought conditions in Missouri and other Midwest states are worsening every day, providing an impetus for Congress to approve a new farm bill and reinstate non-program crop disaster assistance that lapsed last fall.  In a letter to Missouri’s Congressional Delegation, Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst urges the House of Representative to move swiftly. 

AFBF Applauds House Ag Committee Farm Bill
The farm bill approved today by the House Agriculture Committee, in a 35-11 vote, is a fiscally responsible, bipartisan measure that continues to provide a basic-but-broad foundation of risk management protection for America’s farmers and ranchers, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. 

Congress Passes Federal Highway Report
After too many short-term extensions to count, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have agreed to renew federal transportation programs until September 30, 2014. A longer term bill would have provided more certainty in planning highway projects, but the compromise reached by lawmakers contains reforms that should give states more flexibility and streamline some regulations that slow construction.

NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Farm Bureau monitors the legislative process in Congress, as well as regulatory and legal issues that affect agricultural producers throughout the country. Here is information on some of the issues considered priorities by the American Farm Bureau Federation.