Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 106th Convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2025. Key topics ranged from labor to rural broadband to trade. For the third year, delegates were polled at the beginning of the voting session regarding their farms. The results show 97 percent of those who cast votes operate family farms and nearly two-thirds represent small- to mid-size farms as defined by USDA.

Several Montana Farm Bureau Federation policies made their way through the grassroots process and were passed by the AFBF voting delegates including increasing state and federal funding for agricultural irrigation, using science and consultant reviews when reviewing grazing permits, including cryptosporidiosis (severe scours) in the USDA Disaster Relief programs, ensuring dietary guidelines include the benefits of red meat, and increasing the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wool Marketing rate.

MFBF President Cyndi Johnson and Vice President Casey Mott represented their state on the delegate floor. Mott, a cattle rancher from Custer, spoke on the floor regarding MFBF’s resolution on grazing permits.

“When the Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service makes decisions about grazing land, they rely only on field staff to provide information, many of whom are recent college graduates who know nothing about that land. This resolution says federal agencies should use generational landowner knowledge and local expertise rather than simply relying on one of their employees who may be unfamiliar with land management of an area.”

President Cyndi Johnson, a wheat farmer from Conrad, said, “It is an honor to represent Montana’s hard-working farmers and ranchers on the national level. The delegate session shows grassroots in action, and I am thrilled to be a part of this thoughtful, efficient process by sitting with delegates from each state Farm Bureau and Puerto Rico.”

“Farm Bureau demonstrated what truly makes it the voice of American agriculture,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Delegates directly addressed the challenges and opportunities facing farmers and ranchers. The policies they set today give us a roadmap to work with the new administration and Congress to address the needs of rural America. It includes the passage of a new farm bill, enacting regulatory reform, and creating new markets for the men and women who are dedicated to keeping America’s pantries stocked.”

Delegates adopted policy supporting the development and sale of domestically sourced sustainable aviation fuel, including expanding the list of acceptable conservation practices for feedstock eligibility.  They strengthened policy on alternative energy production, including increasing the responsibility of energy companies to manage land used for development, and prioritizing energy production on land not suitable for agriculture.

Recognizing the challenges of maintaining a strong agriculture workforce, delegates voted to stabilize labor costs to avoid drastic swings that put the economic sustainability of farms at risk. They also recommended the AFBF board study potential alternatives to the current Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology used for the H-2A program.

On trade, delegates added policy in support of a United States—Mexico—Canada Agreement review process to encourage new opportunities while protecting U.S. agriculture from unfair competition.

Policy on rural broadband was revised to support requiring companies that win broadband loans or grants to quickly complete projects in underserved rural areas. Delegates also directed AFBF to press more forcefully for reform of the current requirements for small-scale meat, dairy and value-added processing facilities.