–Competitions in Laramie Farm Bureau members between the ages of 18-35 and college students in Wyoming are invited to participate in the 2019 Discussion Meet competitions. There are two different competitions that will be held during the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) Annual Meeting in Laramie in November.
Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy development is the strength of the Federation. Wyoming farmers and ranchers will grow the policy to the next grassroots level, the state level, at the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) 100th Annual Meeting Nov. 13-15, 2019 in Laramie. The Centennial Celebration will be one you don’t want to miss as we will be “Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future.”
September 12, 2019 – The administration’s announcement of a fresh start for clean water and clear rules is a victory for farmers and ranchers, according to the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), welcomed Todd Fornstrom, president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, to the committee. Fornstrom was testifying before the committee at a hearing titled “A Review of Waters of the U.S. Regulations: Their Impact on States and the American People.” Click here to watch Mr. Fornstrom’s testimony.(more…)
The EPA’s latest proposal to define which waters can be regulated by the federal government and which by state and local authorities is a vast improvement over previous efforts, Wyoming Farm Bureau President Todd Fornstrom told the Senate Subcommittee on Fisheries, Waters, and Wildlife today. (more…)
Students from across Wyoming learned more about agriculture again this year and were recently recognized for their participation in the 2019 Wyoming Farm Bureau (WyFB) “Ag Books for Kids” contests. The 2019 contests included: Coloring Contest for kindergarten and first grade; Poster Contest for second and third graders; and a Creative Writing Contest for fourth and fifth graders. (more…)
With appreciation for devoting her time, talent and dedication to the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, we thank McKenzi Digby for serving the organization as the Office Manager and Creative Director since May 2, 2016. Digby’s last day with WyFB will be May 24. (more…)
By Randy Dwyer
“If not us, who? If not now, when?” These questions have been posed by many over the years in an attempt to draw attention to causes both large and small. For Farm Bureau farmer and rancher members, the answers to these questions should hold more meaning today than ever before. (more…)
By Cyndie Shearing, American Farm Bureau Federation
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights” has long been attributed to Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and our nation’s third president. When he wrote those words in 1789, Jefferson could not have imagined how true they would ring more than 200 years later, when the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed an overreaching “waters of the U.S.” rule in 2015 that was more about controlling land than protecting water.
Fortunately, at the end of 2018, after years of litigation and controversy, the agencies proposed a new rule that provides farmers and ranchers with Clean Water and Clear Rules. Now EPA and the Corps want to hear directly from members of the public – including farmers, ranchers, landowners and others who may be subject to regulation – to make sure the new Clean Water Rule provides clear and easily understood guidelines. But with the comment period on the proposed new rule closing on April 15, there’s no time to lose. To have a voice in this process, it’s important to submit your comments online now at www.fb.org/cleanwater.
EPA’s administrator has stated he wants the new Clean Water Rule to work for agriculture and all of America. Below are some key reasons to be optimistic about it:
The proposed new rule provides clarity, regulatory certainty and protects water resources, while respecting the federal-state balance that Congress struck in the Clean Water Act. It alleviates unpredictable and inconsistent case-by-case determinations of which waters fall under the agencies’ jurisdiction. It also brings an end to the decades-long trend of persistent federal government overreach that cannot be reconciled with either congressional intent or judicial precedent.
This proposed new “waters of the U.S.” definition is grounded in the Clean Water Act. It’s also consistent with Supreme Court precedent. And it helps correct past agency practice, guidance and interpretations that improperly expanded the scope of federal authority under the CWA.
The proposed rule eliminates much of the uncertainty, ambiguity and inconsistency that characterized previous definitions related to the scope of EPA and the Corps’ jurisdiction. The proposal also appropriately places the burden on the government, not landowners, to show jurisdiction in cases where historic evidence is needed.
The proposal appropriately defines tributaries to include only those streams that contribute perennial or intermittent (as opposed to occasional or ephemeral) flows to a traditional navigable water. The focus on the well-understood concepts of ephemeral, intermittent and perennial flow allows landowners and regulators to more readily identify tributaries subject to CWA jurisdiction.
Under the proposed rule, wetlands adjacent to other jurisdictional waters (traditional navigable waters, tributaries, ditches, lakes, ponds and impoundments) would fall under EPA jurisdiction. With this “adjacent wetlands” definition in place, agencies asserting jurisdiction over isolated, intrastate, non-navigable waters is no longer a possibility.
The proposal reaffirms the “prior converted cropland” exclusion, which grandfathered in many acres of cropland and exempted them from federal jurisdiction.
Farmers and ranchers want Clean Water and Clear Rules. Don’t miss this chance to let your voice be heard. Submit your comments online today at www.fb.org/cleanwater.
Cyndie Shearing is director of internal communications at the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Ecologist Charles Post travels across Nevada to explore how overpopulated wild horses effect native wildlife. A Wildlife Society film by Charles Post, Phillip Baribeau, and Ben Masters.
LINCOLN, NEB., March 15, 2019 – The Nebraska Farm Bureau has launched relief efforts to aid Nebraska farmers, ranchers, and rural communities suffering from the natural disasters that have impacted the state. The relief efforts include the establishment of a disaster relief fund and launch of an online agriculture disaster exchange portal to connect those in need with those who can help. (more…)
When you think about agriculture, food is the first thing that comes to mind for most people. Food is definitely important for life, however, farmers and ranchers provide for much more than food alone. Plant and animal biotechnology have resulted in new antibodies for immunizations. Agriculture has also contributed to research that has helped develop surgical techniques and pharmaceuticals that help save lives.
And that is just the beginning of how agriculture is food for life. Agriculture protects and provides for open spaces, clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and local economies.
Agriculture: Food for Life and working to Keep Wyoming Strong! Farmers and ranchers are truly stewards of the planet. In agriculture, we have the grand responsibility of not only making it work while we are here on earth, but making it work for future generations. To be a good steward means to implement the kind of management that works. Making careful and responsible choices for the land that we have been entrusted to care for is important and necessary.
Looking at the number of years a particular business has been operating can be a good indicator of success. Hundreds of Wyoming farms/ranches have celebrated their centennial anniversaries; meaning their farm or ranch has been in the same family for multiple generations. Now, that is representation of good stewardship.
The land and its resources must be managed well in order to continue to thrive. Using advances in technology as well as knowledge of the land, farmers and ranchers are doing more with less. They also feed their families the same food they grow and raise.
Farmers and ranchers play a large role as stewards of the land. They do this in many ways including: caring for the land by practicing best management practices, providing wildlife habitat, open spaces and fresh air. I challenge you to see for yourself. Ask a farmer or rancher in your community to tell you the true story about how they are stewards of the land all while providing food for life.
While you are enjoying your favorite food remember to “Celebrate Agriculture,” and its people who care for the animals and the land seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation invites all Wyomingites to “Celebrate Agriculture” and learn more about its role in your daily lives and recognize the issues impacting agriculture. We proudly celebrate Wyoming agriculture and its people every day of the year and specifically on Wyoming Agriculture Day, March 14, 2019. Visit us at www.wyfb.org.
In a room full of Wyoming farmers and ranchers, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed his first proclamation as Governor designating the week of March 4th as “Wyoming Agricultural Literacy Week.”
“I can’t be more proud than to have Farm Bureau here,” Governor Gordon stated as he took pen to paper declaring the importance of agriculture literacy and Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s “Ag Books for Kids” program.
“Ag is important to Wyoming,” Governor Gordon stated. “There is a work ethic on the farm and ranch that is second to none.”
