Farm Bureau Begins on the Farm

Fresh from the farm. American grown. Those words bring to mind quality and value, thanks to the hardworking men and women across this country who are proud to be called farmers. Nearly everything we need for our daily lives and wellbeing begins on the farm, and at Farm Bureau, that’s where our policy rightly begins too.

This will soon be on full display when thousands of farmers and ranchers gather in Anaheim, California, for the 107th American Farm Bureau Convention this week. This event is the climax of months of hard work and grassroots policy development across our federation. But it’s just the beginning of a new year of work at the American Farm Bureau, with the agenda set by our grassroots leaders. Everything we do, at every level of Farm Bureau, begins on the farm. I am proud to be a farmer and to serve an organization that has been—and continues to be—built, led and driven by farmers and ranchers.

Every Farm Bureau Organization Starts on the Farm

While this year marks the 107th year of the American Farm Bureau Federation, there are county and state Farm Bureaus older than the national federation. And that’s just as it should be. Farm Bureau didn’t start at the national level. It began with a county. Back in 1911, farmers in Broome County, New York, came together to address the challenges of their time. Soon more county and state Farm Bureaus cropped up across the country, and then in 1919, farmer leaders met together to form the American Farm Bureau. They believed they could be stronger together, and that value has stood the test of time. And, while farming and Farm Bureau have grown and adapted over the years, our values and our fundamental structure have not changed. Everything we do begins on the farm.

Every Farm Bureau Policy Starts on the Farm

In the months and weeks leading up to our national gathering, I have had the privilege of traveling the country to meet with our members as they set policy to direct our work in Washington. I’ve taken part in that process firsthand, too, from the county and state level over the years. Grassroots advocacy is what got me involved in Farm Bureau as a young farmer, as I looked to make a difference for my family and my community. Farm Bureau policy is grown at the local level. Our members gather with their neighbors and talk through the issues facing their farms and ranches. Together, they work out solutions and make policy recommendations. Those policy resolutions are then sent on for state level consideration by farmer and rancher delegates to guide state advocacy. Finally, our grassroots members send policy recommendations that have broader relevance on to the American Farm Bureau. This all comes together at the national level when farmer delegates from across the country review our policy book and discuss changes needed to strengthen farms, ranches and rural communities across the country.

Every step of this process, every decision, is led and driven by real farmers and ranchers. These decisions are made by men and women who come from all corners of agriculture. They raise a wide variety of commodities and run farms of all sizes. Farm Bureau is the largest general farm organization because farmers know the power of our united, grassroots voice. A vast majority (97%) of our farmer delegates come from family farms, and nearly two-thirds represent small- to mid-size farms as defined by USDA. Our members understand the outsized impact that a farm of any size can have when we work together. Our commitment to farmer-led advocacy has been strong for more than one hundred years, making us the united, national Voice of Agriculture. And it’s the work we’ll continue doing for many more years to come.