American Farm Bureau

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A brief overview of your interest group (be sure to put its name in bold in the first sentence) and the scope of the article goes here.

The following list of sections should serve as a loose guideline for developing the body of your article. The works cited in references 2-5 are all fake; their purpose is to serve as a formatting model for your own citations.

History

They were able to get Congress to approve a regulation of grain exchanges and grain future trading, a packers and stockyard control act, and an extension of the War Finance Corportation's power to help financial agricultural exports in less than 6 weeks of getting into Washington. From the legislature, they recieved an increased supply of federal farm loan bonds, $25 million working capital for the federal farm loan system and a promise for $100 million for highway construction in rural areas. The New York Times said it was "The most forceful group of influence in national politics today" afterwards.

In 1922 the first president, James Howard stepped down for health reasons and was succeeded by Ohio Farm Bureau leader Oscar Bradfute. He declares new goal as "Service through cooperative marketing."

They supported the US Grain Growers, a grain marketing cooperative, and bought several private operations in hopes of gaining entry into the new market. It ended up being a failure after two whole years of support from the AFBF.

In the mid 1920's they helped establish the "Minor crop" idea to many states. This led to an increase in the production of sweet potatoes and melons in the South, potatoes in Maine, dairy in the Midwest, eggs in Minnesota and tobacco in several areas.

In 1924-25 The AFBF was in widespread support of the McNary Haugen bill. It would implement a two tier price system for crops like grain. The two tier stystem would benefit farmers because they would recieve discounted prices for a surplus. The bill eventually passed in 1927.

Hoover loses much support from the Farm Bureau after contesting the McNary Haugen bill. He would not run for re-election.

Founding

This subsection should provide some historical context for the founding of your group, explain the motivations behind it, and describe the steps taken and challenges faced by its founders to get the ball rolling.

In 1862 the Morrill Act established a number of land grant colleges across the country. These colleges were part of the Extension education movement, and the Hatch Act of 1887 established agriculture experimental stations at these colleges. These stations served as "Farmer's Institutes," a place of education for farmers.

In 1911 John Barron went to Broome County, New York to serve as the first Farm Bureau representative. It was financed jointly by the USDA, the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce and the Lackawanna Railroad.

Other states such as: Missouri, North Dakota, Vermont, Minnesota, Iowa, West Virginia and Illinois created similar state level farmers' organizations. In 1914, the Smith Lever Act donated additional funds and really furthered the effort.

In 1919 a group of farmers from 30 different states met in Chicago, Illinois, and founded the American Farm Bureau Federation. Their motive was to be able to speak for themselves through their own national organization. In 1920, the AFBF released the original mission statement:

"The purpose of Farm Bureau is to make the business of farming more profitable, and the community a better place to live. Farm Bureau should provide and organization in which members may secure the benefits of unified efforts in a way which could never be accomplished through individual effort."

Current objectives and activities

Goals for the year: Promoting the newly developed curriculum that accompanies episodes of the America’s Heartland TV series. Continuing to strengthen agricultural literacy among consumers through Ag in the Classroom projects. Telling the story of agriculture through collaboration with agricultural leaders on the Accurate Ag Books project which provides children’s books about agriculture to schools and libraries. Teacher scholarships to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference. Mini-grants for Farm Bureau groups to increase ag literacy efforts in their communities.

A list of priority issues for the AFBF right now:

Animal Agriculture- Animal care

Energy and Transportation- Comprehensive energy policy, Federal motor carrier safety regulations

Environment and Land Use- Clean water act jurisdiction, Climate change

Farm and Food Policy- Farm bill implementation, Food safety and labeling

International Trade- Market access and expansion

Labor and Immigration- Ensure a legal workforce for agriculture

Strengthen Rural Communities- Broadband deployment

Tax Policy- Capital gains tax, Estate tax reform, Renewable energy tax incentives

Organizational structure

This section should describe the group's organizational structure, including its principal leadership positions and their current incumbents.

President- Bob Stallman. Jan 13, 2000-Present. The 11th president in AFBF history. Former president of the Texas Farm Bureau. Appointed by former president George W. Bush in 2007 to the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

Executive Vice President- Richard Newpher. Former 13 year secretary/treasurer for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. He has been working with the AFBF since 1973 in various postions.

Achievements

This section should recount the group's major achievements, including but not limited to legislative and/or legal victories.

Public perception and controversies

In developing this final section, be especially careful about maintaining a neutral stance and tone. Your aim should be to document the public's perception of your group and/or any controversies in which it is or has been embroiled without weighing in with your own opinion about them.