AFBF Encouraged by Trump Round Table with Farmers

A round table conversation between President Donald Trump, farmers and new Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Tuesday offered agriculture a chance to discuss key issues facing agriculture. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, who participated in the round table, said the conversation focused on trade, taxes, farm labor and regulatory reform…

“President’s been a friend to agriculture by looking at rules and regulations that hinders us from doing our jobs, and small business from doing their jobs.  He’s singed the executive order to start dismantling the Waters of the US rule, where the EPA tried to re-define the word ‘navigable’.  And then also, yesterday, he signed an executive order to start a task force to study ag and rural prosperity, which means, that with inter-governmental agencies, with Secretary Purdue leading that task force, look into every regulatory barrier that’s in front of agriculture and look into it, and try to find solutions to it, so that we can grow, be productive and create jobs.”                    

Duvall says the meeting at the White House was very productive and showed promise for the agricultural industry…

“We had two goals going into yesterday’s meeting; was to be able to speak to all the issues that are effecting our farmers and ranchers, the key issues, and to do it in a very efficient manner.  And I think that the group that went in     was very efficient in doing that, and we got to talk about farm labor, taxes, regulatory reform, and trade, all of which are very important to us.”       

Duvall says having Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in place at USDA will help move agriculture issues forward…

“My organization works on policy each and every day that affects rural America, and agriculture.  And a lot of those policies are driven or administrated by USDA.  So, now that we have a secretary, and the secretary that’s been chosen has great credentials, we are very optimistic about the future of us working together, with him and his department.  He rolled his sleeves up to go to work, and we’re going to roll our sleeves up to go to work with this administration to make rural America stronger, and farmers and ranchers stronger and their businesses back at home.”               

AFBF President Zippy Duvall.