Zippy on the Farm Bill

Zippy on the Farm Bill

Rick Worthington
Rick Worthington
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall suggested a rethinking of what farmers consider the farm bill to be.

Opening the 99th Annual American Farm Bureau Federation Convention Sunday, Duvall says it's time to stop calling the farm bill a safety net for farmers.

"I think we gotta call it what it is," he said, "and it is a food security bill. See, the farm bill is a place where all Americans, in and outside of agriculture can make a very small deposit and invest in the security of their food system. But as important as the farm bill is to overall food security, it is critical to the sustainability of our farms and our ranches."

After the Duvall speech Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron told HAT he agrees with the idea of shifting the language.

"It is more than just a farm bill, and it depends on how you want to look at it, but I think what he's saying is we're all going to have to work together. We have the nutrition part of the farm bill. We have what we consider the farm part of the farm bill, and it's about all of us working together and coming to a solution that gives a real safety net for those of us in agriculture across this country."

Kron will be in the audience when President Trump speaks in Nashville and is anxious to hear about NAFTA and whether the President "get's it" the same way his USDA Secretary does.

"I want to hear what he has to say because I've had some meetings and a lunch with Secretary Perdue and I think he really gets it. And he's working hard to make sure President Trump understands the importance of NAFTA to agriculture. Sometimes we take things for granted and we have to realize what negative impact it could have if we don't trade with our neighbors."

Again, that was - American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.

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