The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and commonly referred to as the Farm Bureau is a lobbying organization in the United States representing farmers and ranchers. Lobbying includes all attempts to influence Legislators and officials whether by other legislators constituents or organized groups The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials A ranch is an area of landscape including various structures given primarily to the practice of ranching the practice of raising grazing livestock such as Cattle
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History
The Farm Bureau movement officially started in 1911 when John Barron, a farmer who graduated from Cornell University and worked as an extension agent in Broome County, New York. Agricultural extension was once known as the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education Broome County is a County located in the US state of New York. He served as a "farm bureau" representative for farmers with the Binghamton, New York Chamber of Commerce. Binghamton, known as The Parlor City is a City located in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. A chamber of commerce (also referred to in some circles as a board of trade) is a form of Business network. The effort was financed by the United States Department of Agriculture and Lackawanna Railroad. The Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company ( DL&W or Lackawanna) was a Railroad connecting Pennsylvania 's Lackawanna Valley The Broome County Farm Bureau soon separated from the Chamber of Commerce.
Other bureaus on a county level formed across the country.
Farmers meeting in Saline County, Missouri were the first to form a state-wide bureau in 1915. Saline County is a County located in the US state of Missouri.
The initial farm bureaus had a social and educational function furthering the extension service efforts, and they have additionally developed a lobbying presence as well.
The American Farm Bureau was formally created in 1919 in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Its initial organization papers said:
The purpose of Farm Bureau is to make the business of farming more profitable, and the community a better place to live. Farm Bureau should provide an organization in which members may secure the benefits of unified efforts in a way which could never be accomplished through individual effort. - Statement originally approved by Farm Bureau members in 1920. [1]
The state and national Farm Bureaus continue to provide valuable consumer information regarding the efficiency and safety with which American food and fiber is produced. Great emphasis is placed on teaching elementary age school children where their food actually comes from.
The American Farm Bureau Federation relocated its headquarters from Park Ridge, Illinois to Washington, D.C. in 2003. Park Ridge Illinois, is a suburb of 37775 residents Fifteen miles northwest of downtown Chicago it is close to O'Hare Airport, major expressways and rail transportation Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. [2]
Insurance
An organization independent of the Farm Bureau called FBL Financial Group based in Des Moines, Iowa sells insurance under the brand names of Farm Bureau Financial Services and EquiTrust Financial Services. FBL Financial Group Inc ( is a Financial services company that sells Life insurance and annuity products principally under the consumer brand names Farm Bureau It also uses the Farm Bureau logo. In March 2007 it reported assets of $12. 6 billion. [3]
Personnel
- Bob Stallman, President
- Bob Young, Chief Economist
- Mark Maslyn, Executive Director, Public Policy
- Don Lipton, Director, Public Relations
See also
References
- Farm Bureau Historical Highlights, 1919-1994
- Link to state Farm Bureaus
- The American Farm Bureau Federation Web site
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