WV Farm Bureau Magazine September 2015 | Page 4

PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS Successful Policy Development Takes All of Us Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau It is again that time of year when we as an organization take time to consider what our policy positions will be on the many issues that our members are facing. This is a very important part of our organization. We are one of only a handful of organizations where policies are developed from the local level. FB Policy Development Committee, which meets in early October each year to consider all recommendations from the counties, as well as to review all current policy. Those that are approved at this meeting are then forwarded to the WVFB Annual Meeting for consideration by the voting delegates. Both new and current policies approved at that time become the official policy positions of WVFB. Any issues of national interest are forwarded on to the American Farm Bureau Federation for consideration, approval and inclusion in AFBF policy. To explain policy for our newer members, let me briefly describe WVFB’s development process: First, if a member has an issue or concern, they can bring it to their county Farm Bureau. The county FB gives careful consideration to the issue. If agreed upon by the county, it is then forwarded to our state These policy positions are compiled and published each year so that anyone who is interested can easily find our positions on a variety of issues. Policy books are mailed to all legislators and other key decision makers, and all see Wilfong, page 24 Getting Rural America Online Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation You can’t tell the story of American agriculture without looking at how farmers and ranchers have pioneered the use of cutting-edge tools on their land. Innovation and farming go hand in hand. And we’ve come a long way from the first gaspowered tractors a century ago to the state-of-the-art, self-steering models available today. Farmers and ranchers are quick to embrace the best tools to get their work done — and to get it done well. Thanks to advanced farm equipment, better seeds and smarter digital tools, we are growing more while reducing our environmental impact. By 2050, we’ll have 9 billion mouths to feed. That’s no small task, and we can’t get t