By Blake Jackson
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) recently concluded its 105th Annual Meeting, where delegates established new policy directives for the organization.
The meeting, held in Wisconsin Dells, saw delegates from all 61 county Farm Bureaus gather to discuss and vote on various issues affecting the agricultural industry.
A key focus of the meeting was dairy policy. Delegates expressed support for increased transparency in milk pricing, requiring milk purchasers to provide detailed breakdowns of milk checks to producers.
Additionally, they advocated for uniform regulations and restrictions on dairy farmers, as well as mandatory price reporting from all processors for federal orders.
In the realm of education, delegates supported increased funding for Farm Business Management training programs at technical colleges, particularly for beginning farmers.
They also emphasized the importance of youth tractor safety training and called for increased opportunities for students to learn from qualified instructors and safety professionals.
Other policy resolutions passed by delegates included:
- Supporting the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program
- Promoting year-round use of biofuel blends
- Establishing a program to connect retiring farmers with new farmers
- Opposing unrestricted foreign ownership of Wisconsin farmland
- Limiting restrictions on direct marketing and cottage food production
- Supporting biosecurity measures for livestock producers
- Investing in research and development for sustainable agricultural plastics
On the federal level, delegates voted to:
- Oppose inflexibility in NRCS EQIP contracts
- Lower Dairy Margin Coverage tier 1 coverage to 6 million pounds or less
- Support the Dairy Revitalization plan
- Improve GPS mapping to reduce traffic on secondary roads
These resolutions will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation for consideration at its annual convention.
Photo Credit: wisconsin-farm-bureau
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy