America trusts us because our farmers never waver By ZippyDuvall
Likemany of you, I know this one from personal experience. When COVID hit, I resorted to Zoommeetings in my truck while the staff moved heaven and earth to get a stable signal atmy farmhouse. We are finally on our way to leveling the playing field for farmers, ranchers, rural hospitals, rural schools and all ru- ral Americans with a historic investment in broadband. Don’t ever say that your one voice can’t make a difference. Let me tell you: When you’repart of theFarmBureau family, you better believe it can. The wider we open our doors to invite newpeople into this FarmBureau family, the brighter that future is going to be. We need to represent all of agriculture, draw- ing infarmers fromall backgrounds, crops, racesandregions. Let’sactively recruit and include newvoices and perspectives. Do not underestimate the power of your voice. America trusts us, and for good reason. Through even the greatest challeng- es, we never waver in growing the safest, most sustainable food, fuel and fiber in the world. And FarmBureau remains true to our purpose—to be that one united voice of agriculture. The challenges we are facing today are gettingsocomplexthatitcanbehardtowrap our arms around them, but let’s commit to staying connectedandworking together to solve them. Itwill takeall of us todo it. It’s still our time. Let’s keep Growing Tomorrow, Together. (Zippy Duvall, a third-generation farm- er from Georgia, has served as president of the American FarmBureau Federation since 2016. This column is adapted from his speech delivered Sunday at the AmericanFarmBureauFederationAnnual Convention inAtlanta.)
Iseethatthefutureisbright foragriculture as wework to get through this pandemic. I
visited26statesand Puerto Rico, and I bring the stories from your farms to our nation’s leaders and lawmakers in Washington,D.C. In Loui s i ana, I saw f i r s thand how regulations like Waters of the
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall addresses the organization’s 2022 convention, declar- ing, “The American farmer is one of the most trusted profes- sions today.”
Zippy Duvall
United States, or WOTUS, can impact farms. Farmers in Arizona made it clear howH-2A visa delays are hurting agricul- ture. The shocking realities of the border crisis became very real when I visited our southernborder states. InKansas, farmers weren’t shy about sharing their concerns around livestock markets. And in Puerto Rico, the power of farm bill programs to strengthen farmerswas on full display. TheAmericanFarmBureauteamisshar- ingyourstoriesontheHill,withtheadminis- trationandthroughmanycommunications channels that reach far andwide. OurthemethisyearisGrowingTomorrow, Together.Growingtomorrowrequirestaking onnewchallengesandembracingpossibil- ities, because we believe each season can be better than the last. Growing tomorrow requirescontinuedinnovationtoensurewe can feedagrowingpopulationwhile caring forournatural resources. TheAmerican farmer is one of themost trusted professions today. That may not always feel true when you see negative headlines, but our polling shows that 87% of Americans trust farmers and ranchers. And in that same spirit, Farm Bureau has your back. Over our 102-year history, FarmBureauhasbecome the leaderweare
today by adapting andworkingwith every administration and every Congress. But what has never changed is howwe stand tall for you. Adaptingdoesn’tmean forget- ting our roots.We remain grounded inour purpose,whichstrengthensus tomakethis time our time. Twoyearsago,wesawthewritingonthe wall: major food companies making cli- mate commitments with big implications for agriculture; Congress ramping up leg- islative proposals; and the public increas- ingly calling for climate action. We knew that if weweren’t at the table, wewouldbe on the table. The American FarmBureau co-found- ed two coalitions to lead the way. One was Farmers for a Sustainable Future. It highlightedour great achievementsacross America’s farmand ranch land. The second is the Food andAgriculture Climate Alliance. This historic alliance brought togetheragriculture, forestry, food and even environmental groups. Together, we highlighted the great work beingdoneonsustainability.Weestablished principlesandmadepolicyproposalstoad- vancevoluntary,market-drivenapproaches. Thealliancerecommendationshavenot
only guided climate discussions in D.C., they are the foundation of legislation and USDA programs that respect farmers. I personally cannot recall another time when I’ve heard somany leaders on both sidesof theaisleacknowledgeU.S. agricul- ture’s leadership on sustainability. America’s farmers and ranchers have enrolled140millionacres inconservation programs. That’s the size of NewYork and California combined. We have tripled our use of renewable energy on the farm. Andwe are producing more with less while protecting our land, air andwater. Another part of Growing Tomorrow, Togetherisstrengtheningourruralcommu- nitiesthroughinfrastructureimprovements. Thanks to our united voice, Congress passed—and the president signed—a bi- partisan bill that will invest in our roads, bridges, ports andwaterways. We’re also excited to see long-overdue attention toWesternwater infrastructure, which will ensure future production op- portunities for farmers. Infrastructure isn’t just about roads and bridges anymore. It’s also time for us to bridge the great digital divide.
VOL. 49, NO. 2
January 12, 2022
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