The Torch is Passed
4 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS
Charles Wilfong , President , West Virginia Farm Bureau
The American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention was held January 8-12 in Orlando , Florida . We had a large delegation of folks from West Virginia attending who , as always , represented the Mountain State very well .
Farm Bureau is especially proud of the job that Danielle Grant did in the Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet . Danielle made it all the way to the Final Four competition . As a result of being in that Final Four competition , she came home with a new CASE IH tractor as well as other prizes . Danielle prepared for months for the competition and did an absolutely superb job .
Danielle is an Ag Sciences teacher at Buffalo High School in Putnam County . She has graciously offered to write a series of articles for West Virginia Farm Bureau News based on the topics she researched and see Wilfong , page 27
Protecting Our Freedom to Farm in 2016
Zippy Duvall , President , American Farm Bureau Federation
I am honored to begin serving alongside you all as the new president of the American Farm Bureau Federation . For almost a century , AFBF has been the leading voice of agriculture , standing up for farmers and ranchers across our great country . But the real strength of Farm Bureau is our active grassroots membership . Like you , I learned a long time ago that I ’ d have to step outside my fencerows if I wanted to have a say in the matters affecting my farm . You are the backbone of the organization , and together we can address the toughest issues facing U . S . agriculture in 2016 .
Freedom from Government Overreach Farmers and ranchers need to be free to work our land . We have a deep respect for our natural resources — debated at the Discussion Meet . We look forward to learning from her extensive study on those topics .
WVFB Vice-President John Pitsenbarger and I were the two voting delegates from West Virginia at the Convention business session . We had the opportunity to discuss and vote on AFBF policy for the coming year . I believe that we have sound policy to deal with the many issues facing American agriculture . The highlight of the business session was the election of a new president and vice-president of the American Farm Bureau following the decision of Bob Stallman to retire . I must say that Bob has done an exceptional job of leading our organization and he will be missed .
There were a number of very qualified candidates from all over the country running for both president and vice-president of AFBF . In the end Zippy Duvall , President of the Georgia Farm Bureau , was elected
our living depends on it . But some federal agencies , far removed from the realities of farming , seem not to care . Instead of respecting our expertise , they produce unworkable regulations that ignore our concerns and trample our rights . The courts and the Government Accountability Office have called out the Environmental Protection Agency for its unlawful advocacy and legal overreach with the Waters of the U . S . rule . Farmers and ranchers can ’ t wait through the years of litigation it may take to resolve this in the courts . We ’ re pleased that Congress has recognized this and joined in the call to ditch the rule . The EPA must draft a new rule that acknowledges our concerns and respects our freedoms .
Free to Innovate Technology plays a critical role in improving efficiency and reducing our environmental footprint . We
see Duvall , page 21