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AFBF president talks Farm Bill priorities

The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation says the crop insurance program remains the organization’s top Farm Bill priority

Zippy Duvall says it’s necessary to maintain that support so farmers have a safety net.

“It gives farmers skin in the game along with the tax payer who is making an investment in the food security of this country and we think that’s number one priority for us,” he says.

But, he says, there are some problems within the crop insurance program.

“We also identified that there were two commodities that do not have the risk management tools that they require to be able to continue to stay in business and that’s the dairy industry and cotton,” he says.

Duvall says the two programs failed in the 2014 Farm Bill and need to be addressed in the 2018 Farm Bill.

He says AFBF also supports the nutrition title staying within the farm bill.

“Providing food security to our most needed people across this country is very important as American people and to our farmers and ranchers,” he says.

Duvall met with Indiana Farm Bureau leaders on Monday.