Posts in American Farm Bureau
Farm Bureau Names 2022 Farm Dog of the Year

Work on the family farm takes everyone pitching in and doing their part, including four-legged friends, prompting Farm Bureau to launch the Farm Dog of the Year contest four years ago – now a popular feature of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Convention.

The winner of the 2022 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year award is Fit, a Border Collie owned by Florida Farm Bureau members Cindy and Andrew Deak. AFBF, with support from Nestlé Purina PetCare, recognized Fit, four regional runners-up and a People’s Choice Pup today at its convention.

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Changes to Clean Water Rule Will Hurt Family Farms

Member farmers from the American Farm Bureau Federation will participate in a roundtable on Thursday, Jan. 6, about the impact of the proposal to repeal and replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR). The event is hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy. Arizona Farm Bureau President Stefanie Smallhouse and Colorado Farm Bureau Vice President James Henderson will join several other farmers attending the roundtable to explain why this rule is so consequential for agriculture.

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AFBF Official Health & Safety Statement for Convention

The Convention team is closely monitoring updates to Covid guidance and restrictions from the CDC, State of Georgia and City of Atlanta and will notify staff and attendees via the Convention App, Website, and email as appropriate. On Dec. 21, 2021, the City of Atlanta re-instated an indoor mask mandate, which may be enforced against individuals in certain circumstances. It is advisable to wear a mask indoors and always carry a mask while in Atlanta.

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Veterinarians Believe in Vaccines

I work with veterinarians who research influenza—the flu—in Ohio. They spend days at county fairs taking nasal swabs from pigs and blood samples from people who work with pigs. They follow the spread of disease from animals to people and from people to animals. Pigs that get the flu run fevers, become lethargic, and sometimes have respiratory symptoms, just like people. Veterinarians often recommend vaccinating animals to prevent flu and other diseases.

More than 10 years ago, these veterinarians told me a pandemic was due. They expected something like the 1918 flu, which caused millions of deaths worldwide. They thought an influenza outbreak would start in animals and move to people—a typical zoonotic disease.

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Ag Labor Must be Exempt from Travel Restrictions

The American Farm Bureau Federation, along with more than 60 other agriculture groups, sent a letter today to the Biden administration requesting that agricultural workers be exempted from travel restrictions from South Africa. The “Proclamation on Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting Coronavirus Disease 2019” prohibits travel for individuals from several countries, including South Africa, due to concerns over the omicron variant. The letter also requests flexibility in regard to the “Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which limits entry into the United States to only those fully vaccinated with a CDC-approved vaccine with limited exceptions.

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