Priority Issues
Hearing and sharing the voices of our nearly 30,000 members is essential in driving meaningful change in policy on the local, state and national levels.
Our grassroots efforts highlight issues important to those involved in agriculture, what is needed to help them succeed, and helps set the foundation for our work on a wide variety of issues.
State Policy
Issues surfaced by members in our 78 county and regional Farm Bureaus help raise awareness around actionable items necessary to keep agriculture and Minnesota thriving.
Here's a look at how Minnesota Farm Bureau took action at the state Capitol during the 2024 legislative session, based on the issues surfaced and priority issues set by our Board of Directors:
National Policy
The Minnesota Farm Bureau is a part of the American Farm Bureau Federation, comprised of 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico. Together we make a strong presence for agriculture in Washington, D.C. Every year, Farm Bureau members in more than 2,800 counties meet to discuss and vote on policies affecting their farms, ranches and communities. Those policies then set the agenda for their state Farm Bureaus and ultimately AFBF.
AFBF works to support the following principles in guiding the development of programs in the next Farm Bill:
- Maintain funding commitments to current farm programs;
- Maintain a unified farm bill which includes nutrition programs and farm programs together; and
- Prioritize funding for risk management tools which include both federal crop insurance and commodity programs.
Farm Bureau also looks at additional federal legislative and regulatory issues that affect farmers and ranchers including:
- Sustainability
- Regulatory Reform
- Right to Repair
- Labor
- Tax Reform
- Comprehensive US Energy Policy
- Infrastructure
- Innovation
- Farm Policy
Learn more about federal issues on the AFBF website.