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Farmers and ranchers of Kansas Farm Bureau set 2009 policy directionEnsuring credit and expanding export markets are key priorities Kansas Farmers and rancher members of the state's leading agriculture advocacy organization have reached consensus on their 2009 public policy roadmap and selected their leadership. More than 400 Farm Bureau voting delegates, representing each of the state's 105 counties gathered in Manhattan Nov. 6 to 8 for the 90th Annual Meeting of Kansas Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau voting delegates re-elected Ottawa County grain farmer Steve Baccus to a two-year term as president of the organization. The delegates also re-elected George Pretz, Miami County; Bob Voegele, Cowley County; Jerry McReynolds, Rooks County; John Stegman, Ford County and Linda Franklin, Sherman County, to positions on the Kansas Farm Bureau Board of Directors. In his message to the Farm Bureau delegates Nov. 7, Kansas Farm Bureau president Steve Baccus scanned the agricultural, economic and political horizon and encouraged the Farm Bureau faithful to remain engaged. "Budget pressures will drive the agenda in Washington for the foreseeable future. The political will to sustain direct payments to farmers simply may not exist when we write the next farm bill," said Baccus. "If direct payments are going away, if conservation and energy debates are going to dominate farm policy--our organization needs to lead that discussion." The heart of the Kansas Farm Bureau annual meeting is the delegate resolution process. The policy resolutions adopted by voting delegates in Manhattan will become KFB's 2009 policy roadmap for agriculture advocacy efforts before local planning and zoning boards, county commissions, the state legislature and the U.S. Congress. The resolutions approved at the KFB Annual Meeting are the result of a yearlong grassroots effort, involving input from county Farm Bureau members throughout Kansas. The Farm Bureau voting delegates adopted language aimed at ensuring the availability of credit, expanding export markets, encouraging economic stability and creation of a tax structure that considers the specific needs of farmers and other small businesses. The national farm policy resolutions approved by the KFB delegates will be carried to the American Farm Bureau Federation resolutions process through the end of the year and voting delegates from Kansas will join their counterparts from other states in a similar consensus-building exercise at the AFBF Annual Meeting in January in San Antonio, Texas. Kansas Farm Bureau represents grassroots agriculture. Established in 1919, this non-profit advocacy organization supports farm families who earn their living in a changing industry. 11/17/08 Date: 11/13/08
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