SAN ANTONIO - January 16, 2014 -- Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) voting delegates helped secure the strength and commitment to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) this week, as voting delegates took up the RFS and other priority issues for Iowans at the 2014 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
IFBF voting delegates joined more than 350 other state Farm Bureau delegates to find national consensus on a variety of legislative issues. A high priority for Iowa is the RFS, which adds nearly $12 billion, or about 9 percent, to Iowa GDP and supports nearly 83,000 jobs. Despite federal threats to weaken the RFS, Iowa voting delegates worked to approve policies to continue support of renewable fuels tax incentives for the production of biodiesel and to continue funding for next-generation cellulosic and biomass fuel research and installation of blender pumps and improved infrastructure.
Iowa delegates also led the charge to approve a new policy to protect proprietary data that is collected when farmers use GPS or automated software operating systems, available and readily used now in planting, spraying, field planting preparations and harvest equipment. AFBF delegates agreed such private and unique information gathered wirelessly and stored on 'Cloud' based computer servers should not be eligible for release under the Freedom of Information Act.
"IFBF farmers also worked to secure the prioritization of an affordable crop insurance program in the Farm Bill, which Congress still works to approve. But we wanted to secure the national consensus and continued federal support for a crop insurance program to assure strong farmer participation. Iowa has faced several weather challenges in recent years: a flood one year, drought the next, and in unpredictable weather cycles and uncertain markets, such a tool is vital to the sustainability of farming in Iowa," says IFBF President Craig Hill.
AFBF policies are developed by Iowa and Farm Bureau representatives of 49 other states to secure grassroots lobbying strength in the 2014 legislative session.
-30-
About Iowa Farm Bureau
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to helping farm families prosper and improve their quality of life. More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve economic growth, educational improvement, and environmental quality in their communities. For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online media center at www.iowafarmbureau.com.
