Candid Conversation presents a discussion about the topical issues related to Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) priorities, the agricultural industry, and rural communities, in a question-and-answer format. In this edition, American Farm Bureau Federation Vice President of Public Policy Sam Kieffer discusses the rent AFBF Convention, the value in its grassroots members and some of the issues farm families are facing. 

KFB: As Farm Bureau members from around the country made their way to this year’s convention in San Antonio, Texas, what are the advantages of coming together as a group during this annual event?

SK: The great thing about agriculture and Farm Bureau is the people, and this is an opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones. It feels like a family reunion to

me, and I know many of our members feel the same way. But it's also an opportunity for us to get together and learn. We have information sessions throughout the convention talking about everything from finance on the farm to what's going to happen possibly with the next Farm Bureau. And then certainly not the least of our activities at our convention is when our Farm Bureau members tell us what's important to them during the voting delegate meeting. As a policy guy, that's what excites me. I've been in the Farm Bureau organization for over 20 years and I still get goosebumps when I see a farmer holding that microphone standing and addressing his or her peers and saying, "This is something that I believe in, and here's why you all should share the same opinion, and this should be the policy of American Farm Bureau.”

That’s what gives us as staff and as an organization guidance and direction to speak on behalf of American farmers in the United States Congress.

KFB: What would you say is one of the top initiatives for this convention?

SK: Certainly, learning how we can as individuals step up and drive the organization forward. That's the theme of this year's convention is “Step Up and Drive Forward.” This is what Farm Bureau is all about and it's stepping forward, putting your voice forward, your opinion forward. As farmers and ranchers all across the country, it’s locking arms on a policy position, rowing in the same direction to achieve something, and the opportunity for members to learn and find where there's an opportunity for them within the Farm Bureau organization to grow and thrive or in some cases to find a new spark.

KFB: AFBF President Zippy Duvall is very in tune to the work county Farm Bureau presidents do, as was evident at the convention. When we say grassroots, we really mean it.

SK: President Duvall celebrated 2024 as the year of the County Farm Bureau. He served as a County Farm Bureau president. There are thousands of men and women across this country who volunteer for the task of organizing their peers at that local level and it's amazing. They don't get paid. They probably lose some hair or get some gray hair because of the additional meetings, especially when things are happening back home on the farm. But these are amazing individuals who show up and provide that relevance at that local level for an organization that has a positive impact, not just in the United States Capitol, not just in state capitals, but at local meetings, town councils, school district, or county commissioner meetings. Farm Bureau shows up.

My father and brother still farm, and there's always something for them to talk about. But farmers are innovators, and we don't just gripe, they have solutions, as well. And that's the beauty of the Farm Bureau organization and the grassroots process that we have. We're not just pointing out problems, we're putting real solutions on the table. At the end of our conventions, we end up with a policy book renewed by the delegates of the 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico Farm Bureau that tells us what we believe in. These are solutions to America's challenges and what we take to the United States Capitol and help members all across the country use when they engage in conversations with their elected officials.

KFB: So often the discussions and solutions that begin at the local level, end up at the convention or on to Washington. That really makes you guys feel good about the whole system, doesn't it?

SK: Absolutely. The county Farm Bureaus provide relevance. Our credibility, our relevance, and our reputation is because of the men and women with dirt under the fingernails who steer this organization, who show up, who put their voices forward and tell elected officials what we expect and what we need. The most important policy that farmers and Farm Bureau can bring forward is at that local level. More than 20 years ago, my first job in Farm Bureau was at that local level working with eight county farm bureaus. And it's that county level advocacy where farmers and ranchers can truly impact their profession, their livelihood, their family's future, and we need more of that.

KFB: What are some of the messages that this organization will take to this new Congress with this new administration in 2025?

SK: There's a long list and we've been active for quite some time trying to work with Congress on a farm bill. Unfortunately, we are now in our third year of holding conversations to renew a bill that was written in 2018 and was supposed to last for five years. We have now undergone a second one-year extension, so we are in the third year of Congress trying to grapple with what to do with the national farm policy and how to improve a safety net to make sure that America's farmers and ranchers have the opportunity to come back from nothing when Mother Nature strikes or when prices plummet.

And the fact that at the end of the last calendar year Farm Bureau and farm organizations all across the country had to lobby Congress right before Christmas for supplemental economic assistance for agriculture just tells the story that even though the 2018 Farm Bill was a good bill for its time, it is expired. It is no longer as helpful because the reference prices that are there certainly haven't kept up with inflation. We need a modernized farm bill, and we needed it two years ago.

One of the other big things that we've been talking about for at least three years is the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which stems back to President Trump's first administration. There are a significant number of tax provisions that help small businesses, families reinvest their earnings back into their business and many of those provisions are going to expire at the end of this year. Farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses need certainty. We do believe that there will likely be some positive movement. The question is when. We'll continue to work with Congress to make sure they prioritize those tax extensions.

KFB: A new generation in the agriculture industry is certainly critical and there are a lot of areas they could become involved in besides planting crops or raising livestock. How do we get more young people encouraged to come to the farm, to stay on the farm, or at least get into agriculture?

SK: It still comes down to the economy. I'm a child who grew up on a farm in the 1980s, and frankly, I ran away from it because I saw how hard my father worked and how little was left at the end of the year. Miraculously, I found my way back to agriculture and I'm grateful that I did after military and other ventures.

I think we all know that working in agriculture and farming specifically, there are ups and downs, but it's a gratifying experience. However, we need to make sure that the farm economy is also attractive, and that we are providing an opportunity at the state level and even local level for easement programs or transitioning programs. I applaud Kentucky for its Farmland Transition Initiative.

KFB: There are a lot of people, perhaps most consumers who are far removed from the farm. What’s our message to them?

SK: I think that the answer is constantly evolving. At American Farm Bureau, we spend a lot of time conducting public opinion polls to find out what consumers think about farmers, farming and agriculture, and some of the public policy solutions that we're trying to seek. What we've learned time and again, is that the American consumer trusts farmers. The American consumer is also interested in how food is grown. They may not understand the words that we use, but they want to know. My suggestion for farmers is just to be open, and honest, invite folks to the farm, answer their questions, let them know that we share their values, and we welcome their keen interest in the food that they put into their bodies.

There's a lot of assumptions out there, and a lot of unfortunate misinformation. And in some cases, there's disinformation from folks trying to spread a narrative that is not congruent with how we farm. When we just welcome that conversation and invite folks to the farm and let them know, absolutely we care about the animals, and the land, we can hold those conversations in a non-confrontational way, inviting folks to understand that we share their values and we are continuing to look for ways to improve what we do.

KFB: As members from across the country made their way home from the convention, what message did you want them to take away from the event?

SK: I encourage all Farm Bureau members across the country to step up, drive forward, and bring somebody to that county meeting. will always argue that we need to pay attention to local issues because that local government has the most ability to tax and the most ability to influence how land is zoned and used, and we can't forget that. I applaud our county Farm Bureaus, and I encourage all of our volunteers to not just plug in at the state or national levels. That's mightily important, but we need you all at the local level, as well.