PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS
Successful Policy Development Takes All of Us
Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau
It is again that time
of year when we as an
organization take time to
consider what our policy
positions will be on the
many issues that our
members are facing. This
is a very important part of
our organization. We are
one of only a handful of
organizations where policies are developed from
the local level.
FB Policy Development Committee, which
meets in early October each year to consider
all recommendations from the counties, as well
as to review all current policy. Those that are
approved at this meeting are then forwarded to
the WVFB Annual Meeting for consideration
by the voting delegates. Both new and current
policies approved at that time become the official
policy positions of WVFB. Any issues of national
interest are forwarded on to the American Farm
Bureau Federation for consideration, approval and
inclusion in AFBF policy.
To explain policy for our newer members,
let me briefly describe WVFB’s development
process: First, if a member has an issue or
concern, they can bring it to their county
Farm Bureau. The county FB gives careful
consideration to the issue. If agreed upon by
the county, it is then forwarded to our state
These policy positions are compiled and
published each year so that anyone who is
interested can easily find our positions on a
variety of issues. Policy books are mailed to all
legislators and other key decision makers, and all
see Wilfong, page 24
Getting Rural America Online
Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation
You can’t tell the story of
American agriculture without
looking at how farmers and
ranchers have pioneered the use
of cutting-edge tools on their
land. Innovation and farming go
hand in hand. And we’ve come
a long way from the first gaspowered tractors a century ago to
the state-of-the-art, self-steering
models available today. Farmers and ranchers are quick
to embrace the best tools to get their work done — and
to get it done well. Thanks to advanced farm equipment,
better seeds and smarter digital tools, we are growing
more while reducing our environmental impact.
By 2050, we’ll have 9 billion mouths to feed. That’s
no small task, and we can’t get t