ST. PAUL — Last week, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) President Kevin Paap was in Washington D.C. participating in the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) policy development process and meeting with elected and appointed officials on Farm Bureau priority issues.
As a member of the AFBF Board of Directors, Paap serves on the resolutions committee that reviews state Farm Bureau policy recommendations and assembles the recommendations to be sent to the voting delegates at the AFBF Annual Meeting in early January.
“It is an important time to be in Washington D.C. for the next step in the Farm Bureau grassroots policy development process,” said Paap. “It is also a critical time to be in Washington D.C. discussing the importance of trade, taxes and a strong safety net in the 2018 Farm Bill with our elected and appointed officials.”
“We had the opportunity to meet with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to discuss the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to Minnesota agriculture. 24 percent of Minnesota agricultural exports are bound for Canada, and nearly an additional 24 percent of Minnesota agricultural exports are sent to Mexico. We cannot afford to lose nearly half of our market opportunities,” said Paap. “While we were in D.C., we shared this message with other USDA senior officials, the Minnesota Congressional delegation, the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committee staffs, and other partners in agriculture.”
MFBF met with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky, USDA Under Secretary Ted McKinney and other USDA senior staff. MFBF also met with U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken; U.S. Representatives Betty McCollum, Tom Emmer, and Collin Peterson; staff from the offices of Representatives Tim Walz and Jason Lewis; and staff from the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees.
Minnesota Farm Bureau representing Farmers • Families • Food is comprised of 78 local Farm Bureaus across Minnesota. Members make their views known to political leaders, state government officials, special interest groups and the general public. Programs for young farmers and ranchers develop leadership skills and improve farm management. Promotion and Education Committee members work with programs such as Ag in the Classroom and safety education for children. Join Farm Bureau today and support our efforts to serve as an advocate for rural Minnesota, www.fbmn.org.
— Minnesota Farm Bureau
For more news from Minnesota, click here.