Iowa Farm Bureau voting delegates set state and national policy at annual Summer Policy Conference in West Des Moines

Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) voting delegates discussed and debated issues impacting Iowa farmers and rural communities during the two-day Iowa Farm Bureau Summer Policy Conference in West Des Moines this week. The policies shaped by county Farm Bureau voting delegates provide the roadmap for the organization's policy advocacy in 2025.

"Our unique grassroots policy development process includes input from all 100 county Farm Bureaus who surface and prioritize issues throughout the year," said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. "Members should be proud of their year-long effort to research, discuss and enact meaningful policy to move Iowa agriculture forward."

Voting delegates discussed a variety of important state and national issues, including the USDA Young and Beginning Farmer Loan Program. As agriculture faces several current economic challenges, delegates supported policy to improve the efficiency and loan options for the USDA Young and Beginning Farmer Loan Program.

Other policy discussions included livestock disease transmission, fence maintenance on government land, crop carbon intensity scoring and unmanned aerial system spraying, resulting in the established policies that will guide the organization in 2025. As Iowa's largest general farm organization, members representing all sectors of Iowa agriculture, and every county in the state, shared personal examples to highlight the impacts of policies on their farms.

IFBF's Summer Policy Conference is the final step of the year-round grassroots policy process in each of the 100 county Farm Bureaus across the state. The policy set by delegates guides the organization's policy direction for the upcoming year. National policies are subject to debate during American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) policy discussions, which will take place at the AFBF Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, January 24-29, 2025.