Ag Policy Blog

Too many things were going on in the American Farm Bureau Federation delegate session in the late afternoon on Tuesday.

Honestly, it's raining in Nashville and getting colder. As delegates pour over some details on policy involving the EPA, I'm thinking I'm not getting out of Nashville on my evening flight tonight. We'll see how that goes.

Last year, AFBF was in Hawaii. I think there was a greater sense of urgency to get out of the convention center than this year.

As it is, my main article today was getting long, so here are some other resolutions AFBF delegates debated today:

Farm Bureau members inserted a line stating the group supports the Renewable Fuels Standard as it was approved by Congress in 2007. The added line passed with no discussion.

With the Conservation Reserve Program, Farm Bureau members believe haying and grazing decisions should be permitted at the discretion of state Farm Service Agency offices rather than at the office of the Agriculture Secretary.

Following the backlash USDA has received over changes in school-lunch standards, Farm Bureau wants greater flexibility with the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs to ensure local school districts are able to determine how to meet the nutritional needs of their students.

On food labeling, products produced mostly in another country and "finished" in the U.S. or simply moved to the U.S. before final sale should not be labeled as U.S. produced.

Delegates supported criminal prosecution for people obtaining employment or entry to agricultural facilities under false pretenses. They also supported legislation that requires persons witnessing animal abuse to report it to management and/or proper authorities within 24 hours or face being charged as an accomplice.

Delegates support allowing collection of sales taxes on internet sales. Some delegates did not want those sales taxes to apply to agricultural inputs, but others argued that internet sales were hurting their small-town retailers.

Support the elimination of the 7.5% adjusted gross income threshold for deducting medical expenses on tax returns and expanding the tax credit for health savings accounts.

Review of USDA FSA office closures should include miles driven between offices, workloads and inter-agency efficiencies.

Delegates rejected a proposed resolution from a gay Hawaiian Farm Bureau member to delete the policy book's definition of family.

And delegates voted to oppose the insertion of Sharia law into the U.S. judicial system.

I can be found on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN.

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