WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 22, 2015 — A new video produced by the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights the struggles a California farm family has encountered with federal water regulations. The video also illustrates how the climate regarding water regulations will likely become much worse and encompass the entire nation under the widely-reviled Waters of the U.S. rule.
–Peterson Farm Brothers are keynote speakers
“YF&R: Shaping Tomorrow’s Future” is the theme of the Jan. 22-23, 2016 Joint Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Conference in Deadwood, S.D. The Wyoming Farm Bureau and the South Dakota Farm Bureau are joining together for another joint conference you won’t want to miss. The conference is open to all young agricultural producers between the ages of 18-35 (no membership necessary) and all Farm Bureau members. Children are welcome.
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 14, 2015 – “A legal opinion today by the U.S. Government Accountability Office finds that the Environmental Protection Agency broke the law with its social media and grassroots lobbying campaign advocating for its own Waters of the U.S. rule,” stated Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation President. “It’s clear from this report that EPA orchestrated this matter in a biased fashion. Now it’s up to Congress to clean up this mess by including a corrective measure in the omnibus bill now taking shape on Capitol Hill.”
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 10, 2015 – A crush of supporters yesterday filed friend-of-the-court briefs, joining the American Farm Bureau Federation in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to micromanage state land-use and development decisions under the guise of the Chesapeake Bay water quality “blueprint.”
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 18, 2015 – If federal agencies are left the task of developing implementation guidance for the Waters of the U.S. rule, the result will be a continuation of the rule’s “liabilities, confusion and chaos.” Issuing guidance can’t fix a broken rule, according to a letter the American Farm Bureau Federation and other farm groups sent to members of the Senate who voted to oppose bipartisan legislation (S. 1140) seeking to revise the rule.
Wyoming families facing hunger received a boost mid-November with the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Committee “Harvest for All” project. The annual food and fund drive to benefit Feeding America food bank affiliates in Wyoming raised the equivalent of 5,685 meals for Wyoming families.
CODY—Fire damage to private property, federal mandates and pesticide registration were among the many topics included in policies adopted at the 96th annual meeting of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB). Held Nov. 12-14, 2015 in Cody, Wyo., the meeting is an important step in the grassroots policy development process of Farm Bureau.
University of Wyoming student Sarah Falen discussed agriculture issues at a recent Wyoming Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet and earned $300 cash and a trip to Kansas City, Missouri. Falen competed Nov. 12 in the event held in Cody. Twenty competitors representing Northwest College, Sheridan College, Eastern Wyoming College, and the University of Wyoming entered the competition.
The competition is designed to simulate a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each committee member. The competition was open to all Wyoming college students with an interest in agriculture.
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WOTUS (Waters of the United States) rule regulates small isolated wet spots, ditches, and low areas where water only flows when it rains. Congress never granted EPA the authority to regulate these areas or authorized the agencies to require permits for ordinary farming and ranching,” Don Parrish, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Regulatory Relations Director, said while speaking at the Wyoming Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Nov. 13 in Cody.
“There is broad bi-partisan understanding that this rule is broken and there is a tremendous need for Congress to intervene in this process,” Parrish continued.
CODY—Perry Livingston, of Sundance, was elected to his eleventh term as President of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) at the organization’s 96th annual meeting in Cody. Livingston and his family run a cow/calf operation in Crook and Weston Counties.
“We all face challenges from the county, state or federal level and we (Farm Bureau) have to be prepared to help members address those issues,” stated WyFB President Perry Livingston. “We have policy on the ground and can step in at a moment’s notice and give a member the knowledge base and direction to help them have a voice to share and hopefully find some relief.”