News
Estate tax action alert posted
American Farm Bureau Federation is asking for your help in putting death taxes to rest.
5/06/10 (Thu)
Oil spill regulation affects some farmers
On Nov. 5, 2009, Lisa P. Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency administrator, signed a notice amending certain requirements of the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rules that removes an exemption for farms. The new regulations require some farmers to prepare and implement a plan to deal with oil spills on their farms by Nov. 10, 2010.
5/05/10 (Wed)
Ag must plan for new air quality standards
America’s farmers and ranchers certainly don’t agree on everything. Some farmers will only drive tractors with green paint, while others would never think of driving a tractor that isn’t painted red. Some farmers are Democrats, others Republican. And for recreation, some prefer bird hunting, while others prefer bass fishing.
5/03/10 (Mon)
NDFB urges members to contact Pomeroy on Oberstar bill
North Dakota Farm Bureau is encouraging members to contact Representative Pomeroy and urge him not to support or cosponsor Rep. James Oberstar's (D-Minn.) water bill, because it could have serious consequences for North Dakotans.
4/30/10 (Fri)
Health care market-based reforms, not government mandates, needed
North Dakota Farm Bureau President Eric Aasmundstad told members of the N.D. Industry, Business and Labor Interim Committee that recently passed health care mandates aren’t going to help farmers and ranchers. “While agriculture is a business, it is also somewhat unique,” Aasmundstad told the committee during a hearing at the Heritage Center in Bismarck. “We cannot pass on our costs to the consumer.
4/29/10 (Thu)
Ag history focus of new Ag Mag
The latest issue of North Dakota Ag Mag is going back to the roots, the historical roots of agriculture in North Dakota. “Agriculture has certainly played an important role – some would say the most important role – in our state’s history,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.
4/28/10 (Wed)
AFBF launches 'Rural Community Building' blog
AFBF has launched a new blog that offers resource ideas to help county and state Farm Bureau leaders improve the quality of life in rural communities.
4/27/10 (Tue)
What Congress can do for Mother Nature
Another Earth Day has come and gone. The observance each year on April 22 is an opportunity to recognize our environmental achievements and discuss what more we should do. The “doing more” discussion usually centers on things like intricate carbon trading schemes and federal permitting processes. Meanwhile, a simple and non-punitive means of environmental protection is staring us in the face.
4/23/10 (Fri)
AFBF statement on Oberstar water bill
The following statement by Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, was issued today in regarding to Rep. James Oberstar's ‘America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act’ bill: “The American Farm Bureau Federation does not support legislation that would change and expand federal control of our nation’s waters...."
4/22/10 (Thu)
The benefits of agriculture
Farmers have always been good stewards of the land. That's where they make their living. That's where they live. They have always been at the forefront of trying to do things to improve their production practices, to minimize their effects on the environment. American Farm Bureau chief economist Bob Young says there are plenty of statistics to prove that point.
4/22/10 (Thu)
Anti-meat blog on EPA site getting blasted
An anti-meat posting on the Environmental Protection Agency’s official blog is getting blasted in social media and on the blogosphere. In the posting, Nicole Reising, an intern in EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection, blames meat production for its negative impact on the environment.
4/21/10 (Wed)
N.D. surface water near pesticide-free
BISMARCK – A five-month, statewide survey of 15 North Dakota rivers found only minimal traces of four widely-used pesticides.
4/21/10 (Wed)
AFBF responds to error-filled Sunday comic
Dairy farmers across the nation are upset about an error-filled and rhetorically loaded Sunday comic strip aimed at providing facts to kids, and American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman is helping them set the record straight.
4/20/10 (Tue)
Extension reminder: Moldy grain is a respiratory hazard
Anyone harvesting, drying or handling moldy grain should use respiratory protection, according to Ken Hellevang, agricultural engineer with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
4/19/10 (Mon)
NDFB white paper on pesticide drift
When it comes to the proposed changes to the Clean Water Act, farmers and ranchers have a right to be concerned. In 2009, a court's ruling reversed 30 years of EPA practice of not requiring permits for pesticides applied in accordance with pesticide labeling laws.
4/16/10 (Fri)