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The Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPAC endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) over Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in the battle for the open Michigan Senate race. The Michigan Farm Bureau has not endorsed a Republican for the Senate seat since 2006, having backed the retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in her 2012 and 2018 Senate races.

The Lansing Center Lansing, Michigan 1:02 P.M. EST THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, hello, Michigan! AUDIENCE: Hello! THE VICE PRESIDENT: It is wonderful to be with all of you. Thank you for such a warm and generous welcome. But before you get too comfortable, I’ll tell you what — and maybe it’s because we’ve both served as governors — but I have to tell you: As we look around that Cabinet table, this President and I are proud of every member of this Cabinet, but no one more so than the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. Would you give him another...

Connecting with rural Americans, President Donald Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers and pitched his vision to expand access to broadband internet, a cornerstone of economic development in the nation's heartland. "Those towers are going to go up and you're going to have great, great broadband," Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "Farm country is God's country," he declared. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federation's convention, using the trip to Nashville as a backdrop for a White House report that included proposals...

He Sounds great! Crowd enthusiastic!

President Trump will be joining us at our annual convention in Nashville and speaking to the thousands of farmers and ranchers gathered there. The President’s attendance, the 'first for a U.S. president in more than 20 years,' is recognition that Farm Bureau members play a vital role: providing food, fiber and energy crops—and the additional jobs they support—for our country. We look forward to hearing the President’s remarks about issues that are important to farmers’ and ranchers’ bottom lines...

BLAND, Va. — Virginians who try to sell homemade food from their kitchens are feeling the heat from state and local inspectors.“I have to turn down my neighbors when they ask if they can buy pesto I make from my own basil plants,” says Bernadette Barber, a farmer in Lancaster, Va.And this isn’t just a rural phenomenon.In Arlington, government inspectors shut down a home-based soup maker, even though no customer complaints had been registered. Others have encountered similar fates, stripping them of needed income.Legislation served up for the 2015 General Assembly would turn the tables.HB 1290, sponsored by Delegate Rob...

The $1 trillion farm bill will serve as the first test of how deeply the shutdown fight has damaged relations in Washington. Congress has made the legislation its first order of business as it pivots away from the battles over government funding and the debt ceiling. The leaders of the agriculture committees in Congress and K Street lobbyists are eager to put the finishing touches on the bill, which could get wrapped into a year-end budget deal that replaces automatic sequestration cuts. But some fear Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who has vowed to complete the legislation, might be too wounded...

Raymond Foley is a victim.Sure, in past eras far less enlightened and tolerant as this current gilded age, Foley might be considered a menace to society—a creep even. But we know better now. We know people just can’t control their urges, and to demand otherwise is a Neanderthal concept right out of the stone (tablet) age. Foley was born with something that compels him to act out in ways some segments of our society still clinging to their guns and religion condemn. But what Foley doesn’t need is judgment. Foley needs understanding. Foley, 59, was recently charged with second degree...

Dr. Dan Benishek, a surgeon from Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula has received the Michigan Farm Bureau AgriPac Endorsement. Republican Benishek won his primary by fifteen votes and now faces Democrat Gary McDowell. “I am honored to receive the support of Michigan’s farmers. Farmers represent a critical part of Michigan’s economy, and I look forward to working with them when I am in Congress,” Dr. Benishek stated. “Supporting family farmers is essential to creating jobs and promoting real economic recovery in Michigan.”

Calling the November election critical to the future of family farming and ranching in California, the California Farm Bureau Federation endorsed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for re-election today at a rally at Bolthouse Farms in Buttonwillow. "Governor Schwarzenegger understands that high taxes and excessive regulations threaten the future of family farms and ranches," California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said. "He knows that to be truly sustainable, farms and ranches need reliable water, expanding markets and a healthy business climate." Mosebar noted that Farm Bureau members had given Schwarzenegger a 75 percent favorability rating in a recent, statewide survey---in part because...

WASHINGTON D.C., June 23, 2005 – “The American Farm Bureau Federation is outraged that the Supreme Court ruled government bodies can use eminent domain authority to take private property for economic development by private businesses. The ruling in favor of the city in Kelo v. City of New London could have serious negative consequences to farmers and ranchers. “Apparently no one’s home, or farm and ranch land, is safe from government seizure because of this ruling. “The American Farm Bureau Federation has preservation of private property rights as a major policy position. Farm Bureau members and staff will assess the...

Farmers, environmentalists and pollution cops are unhappy with the system for policing pollution caused by farm irrigation that went into effect a year ago. And almost no one can point to evidence that the new system of testing by coalitions of farmland owners is doing any good. The first reports that might show whether the coalitions have managed to prevent toxic substances such as pesticides from running into rivers or sinking into groundwater are due April 1. But two of the nine coalitions that cover the Central Valley -- including the one handling farms in San Joaquin County and the...

AUSTIN -- Everything's big in the Lone Star State, but the term "superhighway" barely begins to describe Texas's transportation plan for the 21st century. Called the Trans-Texas Corridor, it is the most ambitious highway project since the Eisenhower administration introduced the interstate system in the 1950s. The $184 billion, 50-year plan calls for building 4,000 miles of roadways up to a quarter-mile wide. Each corridor would contain six high-speed toll lanes for cars and trucks; six rail lines and easements for petroleum, natural gas and water pipelines, as well as electric, broadband and other telecommunications lines. With Texas's population expected...

Two political heavyweights who may face off in the 2006 GOP primary addressed more than 1,000 members of the Texas Farm Bureau on Monday — a reminder of how powerful agricultural interests are in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison spoke at the Texas Farm Bureau convention at the Marriott Rivercenter. The visits, which ran about 21/2 hours apart, covered topics affecting the state's farming and ranching industries. Perry pledged to cut property taxes and see that Mexico complies with a 1944 treaty to provide water to the United States. He also said a stronger educational...

SACRAMENTO -- The state Senate's incoming leader has placed water issues under one of California's most outspoken environmentalists. Don Perata, the Democratic president-elect of the Senate, announced that water legislation will now be handled by a committee chaired by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica. "That's a big change," said Kern County Water Agency manager Tom Clark. The move delighted environmentalists and dismayed many farmers and water officials. The two groups have battled each other over water supplies for decades. However, Clark said it doesn't worry him. "We've worked well with Senator Kuehl in the past," Clark said. He noted that...

EAU CLAIRE, WI – Today, The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, the state’s largest farm organization, announced its endorsement of George W. Bush for President.  Today’s endorsement marks the first-ever presidential endorsement in the Farm Bureau’s eighty-four year history.  48,190 member families belong to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.“We are endorsing President Bush because Wisconsin farm families have benefited from his leadership. His support of initiatives in the state has helped agriculture grow to be a $51 billion part of Wisconsin’s economy,” said Bill Bruins, president of the Farm Bureau, and a dairy producer from Waupun. “President Bush’s leadership on farm programs,...

Three associations endorse Henry Cuellar Times Staff Reports Laredo attorney Henry Cuellar, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congressional District 28, has been endorsed by several organizations in recent weeks. The Texas Farm Bureau, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and the National Rifle Association have announced their support for the former Texas secretary of state and former state representative. "The farmers and ranchers of District 28 Congressional District stand behind Mr. Cuellar in his bid for the District 28 seat," said Kenneth Dierschke, president of the Texas Farm Bureau's Friends of Agriculture Fund Inc. Dierschke praised Cuellar for his "excellent leadership...

Deep in the heart of Texas a helluva good House race By CRAGG HINES Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle COLLEGE STATION — At last we come to the final act of Tom DeLay's passion play — his long-planned martyrdom, by redistricting, for a handful of U.S. House Democrats from Texas. They have defied him, so now they must prepare to meet their fate. It's the Alamo, with DeLay as Santa Anna. And so to Aggieland, at the southern end of the newly drawn 17th District, where Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, a moderate seven-term Democrat, is fighting for his political life against...

Farm Bureau political arm backs Neugebauer BY CORY CHANDLER AVALANCHE-JOURNAL The Texas Farm Bureau's political action arm endorsed U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, on Thursday in a move that may be indicative of the tough situation facing local producers due to congressional redistricting. This is the first time the TFB's Friends of Agriculture Fund has not endorsed Neugebauer's opponent, U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, in a congressional race, said TFB and AGFUND President Kenneth Dierschke. Dierschke described the decision as "very difficult." "These are two friendly incumbents for us. We didn't want to be put in that situation, but we...

This quarter page display ad ran in the Idaho State Journal on Sunday,  Dec. 14, 2002. The Journal is the local newspaper in Pocatello, Idaho. The  ad was sponsored by the Journal itself, although in a later clarificationthey claimed that it was "produced by a national organization". Farm Bureau Writes Governor About Ad BY MARK MENDIOLA The Morning News - Blackfoot, ID POCATELLO — In a letter to Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, the president of the state’s largest farm organization Tuesday requested the Attorney General’s Office investigate an advertisement published in an Eastern Idaho newspaper. Frank Priestley, president of the...