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Energy and vaccine policies adopted at AFBF

The president of Missouri Farm Bureau says new policies were adopted focusing on energy and vaccine research at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention last week.

Garrett Hawkins tells Brownfield regional transmission projects need to be rooted in or based on the need for enhanced grid reliability, “Our members have been quite concerned about a potential five-fold increase in the footprint of transmission lines, some of which are being proposed to help, essentially, bail out states that have been too aggressive in putting in place green energy policies.”

AFBF also supports additional research for developing diagnostics and vaccines, including mRNA, novel and emerging vaccines. And Hawkins says having science-based reasoning on animal vaccines is important to the future of agriculture, “We want to make sure that we continue to express confidence in our regulators and that the laws and regulations that are used by USDA and FDA as they look at future vaccines for on-farm use.”

He says both topics are important for the Missouri Farm Bureau.

Hawkins was also elected to represent the Midwest Region on the American Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors during last week’s AFBF Convention.