Candidates outline Ag policies in 2024 race

Sep 13, 2024
By Farms.com

AFBF questionnaire dissects candidates' ag agendas

Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) offers a unique glimpse into the agricultural policies advocated by presidential candidates. This tradition, over 40 years strong, involves a comprehensive questionnaire that probes candidates on their views regarding a range of agricultural issues critical to the nation’s farmers and rural communities.

This year, the questionnaire included 14 questions covering diverse topics like taxes, agricultural labor, sustainability, and biotechnology. These questions aim to elucidate candidates' stances on issues that are vital for the sustainability and advancement of the agricultural sector.

The AFBF makes these responses available to the public, providing an unfiltered look at the agricultural priorities of the candidates.

This initiative plays a crucial role in informing rural voters, allowing them to assess how each candidate's policies could impact their livelihoods and communities.

The wide-ranging topics ensure that the candidates' answers reflect their comprehensive approach to the myriad challenges facing modern agriculture, from regulatory reform to food system resiliency.

The AFBF's effort to present these answers in the candidates' own words serves to educate voters and elevate the discourse around agricultural and rural issues in the run-up to the election.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.