The Power of Our Grassroots

One of the great honors of my role as American Farm Bureau president is sharing the stories of farmers and ranchers from across this country with leaders who are making decisions that directly impact our work, our families, and our livelihoods. From lawmakers on Capitol Hill all the way to the White House, I am humbled to sit across from powerful leaders to help them understand how you grow the food, fiber, and renewable fuel our nation and the world depends on. And I have that seat because of you, because they want to hear your stories. Like all Americans, our nation’s leaders, including the President of the United States, want to understand where their food comes from.

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down for a direct conversation with President Trump in the Oval Office. We had a full discussion about the pressing issues impacting your families, your farms, and the farm economy. He asked me a lot of questions about farming which gave me the opportunity to explain the science behind our farming practices and the tools that we use. Thanks to your grassroots efforts, our nation’s leaders are seeing that what matters to agriculture should matter to all Americans. You, as farmers and ranchers, play a critical role in keeping our food supply secure, providing nutritious food for our families, and protecting our natural resources.

I expressed Farm Bureau’s appreciation to President Trump and his administration for the agriculture and tax provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. I shared with the President how this year’s crop is the most expensive we have ever put in the ground, and that this law is bringing much-needed relief with increases to outdated reference prices and funding for other risk management tools. But I also emphasized that it’s time to finish the job with an updated farm bill to address other programs and policy improvements that are important to farmers and ranchers.

As you might have guessed, we also discussed trade and the importance of opening new markets for farmers and ranchers. I shared that farmers are eager to follow the success of the administration’s new deal with the U.K. with even more trade deals to open up markets across the globe. America’s farmers and ranchers are growing some of the best products in the world, safely and sustainably, as I shared with the President, and we’re long overdue for a level playing field in countries that have thrown up non-scientific barriers to American-grown products. I also emphasized that we are eager to see trade disputes resolved swiftly and that our policy does not support tariffs. The President assured me that boosting U.S. agriculture would remain a priority in negotiating new deals.

The President and I discussed other challenges and concerns weighing on farm families right now. I emphasized that labor is the greatest limiting factor to U.S. agriculture, and without a stable, legal workforce, we cannot continue to grow the healthy food that American families count on. If we want to boost American-grown products, we need to reform our H-2A guestworker program. I shared with him the personal stories that I have heard from farmers on these challenges: how you cannot afford the dramatic hikes in the H-2A wage rate and how farmers, despite extensive efforts, have been unsuccessful in recruiting domestic workers to fill these essential roles.

We also discussed the important role pesticides play on the farm, both in protecting our ability to produce a crop and in promoting regenerative practices on the farm. America’s farmers rely on innovative researchers at land-grant universities and the safe regulatory process established by the Environmental Protection Agency to get us the tools we need to grow safe and healthy food. What’s more, I underscored to the President that most farmers live on the land where they use these products, so safety is of the utmost importance for our families and the families we’re growing food for.

Words can’t fully express what an honor this was to speak directly with the President and share stories from Farm Bureau members. I was also grateful to be joined by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. They have both been strong advocates for farmers and ranchers in their roles in the administration. Secretary Rollins also joined us the next day as the keynote speaker at the American Farm Bureau’s Council of Presidents meeting.

Every summer we gather all Farm Bureau presidents from the 50 state and Puerto Rico Farm Bureaus, as well as our national committee chairs, to hear from leaders and lawmakers. This year, our policy team at AFBF worked directly with the White House to hold our meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s Indian Treaty Room. This was the largest gathering of our state presidents at the White House ever. We heard updates from cabinet members, including Secretary Rollins and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, other administration officials, and senior White House staff. Each speaker took questions from Farm Bureau leaders and expressed their appreciation for the hard work of America’s farmers and ranchers.

Each meeting, every conversation—not only last week but across my time in Washington—reminds me of the power of our great federation. The American Farm Bureau, your American Farm Bureau, is the united Voice of Agriculture because of grassroots members who are committed to their farms, their families and their communities. We know that our nation is stronger when agriculture succeeds. And thanks to the tireless work across our federation—from volunteers at the local county Farm Bureau to our dedicated staff to our state and national leaders—your voice is being heard from the local chamber of commerce all the way to the White House.