Dunn County Farm Bureau members attend 97th annual Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting and Young Farmer and Agriculturalist Conference
WISCONSIN DELLS — Over 1,100 farmers and agriculturists from across Wisconsin attended the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s 97th Annual Meeting, Dec. 2-5 in Wisconsin Dells. Delegates from Dunn County included Carl Casper of Menomonie, Darryl Kovacik and Doug Clark of Boyceville, Brian Douglas of Elk Mound, and Marv Prestrud of Prairie Farm.
Farm Bureau member delegates adopted policies that will guide the legislative agenda for the state’s largest general farm organization in 2017. Resolutions submitted by delegates as part of a grassroots policy development process addressed topics including
• Natural resources and the environment
• 2018 Farm Bill
• Improving and upgrading broadband in rural areas
• Disclosure of wolf incidents on farms in Wisconsin by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Livestock and animal welfare and common animal husbandry practices.
Delegates from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s 61 county Farm Bureaus also voted to:
• Support the state’s livestock premise registration program.
• Support the state’s fence law.
• Support a process by which atrazine restricted areas can be repealed.
• Support the inclusion of wild parsnip on the state’s noxious weed list.
• Support funding for the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board.
At the close of the WFBF Annual Meeting, Elk Mound Farmer, Jim Holte, was re-elected to serve a 5th term as president of WFBF and Rural Mutual Insurance Company. Holte was also re-elected to a three-year term on the WFBF board representing District 9 (Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Iron, Pierce, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer and St. Croix counties).
Held in conjunction with the annual meeting, the annual Young Farmer and Agriculturalist Conference provided over 490 young farmers and agriculturalists (ages 18-35) from across the state with an opportunity to network and gain information to benefit their farms and families.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from several excellent speakers including the Director of Millennial Engagement with Monsanto, Vance Crow, who spoke about how the general public has become so disconnected from where their food, fiber and fuel comes from and how young farmers can better share their knowledge with a public that is not trusting of modern agriculture. Aaron Thomas, high school principal and coach, challenged the audience to utilize their opportunities and platforms to overcome adversity. The Farm Bureau Extravaganza took place on Saturday night, with acapella band Tonic Sol-fa providing the entertainment.
For more information on the Dunn County Farm Bureau, call 877.457.8897 or visit http://wfbf.com/countyfarmbureaus/dunn/.
