President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Zippy Duvall addressed the participants of the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit earlier this week. Using his best southern charm, Duvall addressed the issue of the upcoming farm bill, pointing out the different circumstances farmers and ranchers are in as the last bill was being written and the economic climate now.

“The biggest problem with this farm bill and writing the next farm bill will be resources,” Duvall emphasizes. “The baseline that the CBO has is not enough to have a good safety net for the food security of our country and that’s why at American Farm Bureau we’re asking for increases in that baseline so we can build a true farm bill that helps us through the next four years.”

Farmers and ranchers must remain aware of what it happening in the political area, Duvall asserts, sharing the story of two mules he once purchased to give rides to his kids. Turning his back on the animals, “Bill” and “Hillary,” ended in a wrecked wagon; disengaging in today’s political world will result in its own kind of disaster.

Listen to Zippy Duvall’s full remarks here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/agripulse-farmbill-17-fb-duvall.mp3″ text=”Zippy Duvall, AFBF”]

Photos can be found on the Agri-Pulse website.
Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit photos