At the 2023 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, Senior and Farm Broadcaster, Ron Hays, had the opportunity to talk with the President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Zippy Duvall.
At the meeting, Duvall announced that the AFBF board is working with Oklahoma City to bring the 2028 AFBF National Convention to Oklahoma City. The meeting will bring over 5,000 individuals to downtown Oklahoma City in January of 2028.
“I think Oklahoma City will be a place that everybody will look forward to going to,” Duvall said.
Regarding the 2023 Farm Bill, Duvall talked about how an extension has been acknowledged.
“We are not going to let up on the pressure,” Duvall said. “It is absolutely crucial that our farmers and ranchers continue to put pressure on and make Congress understand the urgency of getting this Farm Bill done no later than the first quarter of the year,” Duvall said.
The priorities of Farm Bureau members across the country, Duvall said, begin with Title I of the Farm Bill. Duvall said AFBF members and leadership would also like to see crop insurance expanded to all commodities.
“We think Title I needs to be modernized,” Duvall said. “We think it doesn’t really reflect the true cost of production.”
Duvall said among other issues, research and development dollars must be addressed.
“Research is what keeps us on the cutting edge, keeps us sustainable, and keeps us in a position where we can protect more natural resources and really be on that level playing field in the trade globally,” Duvall said.
