November 5, 2014
www.gfb.org
Vol. 32 No. 44
GFB POLICY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE HOLDS SECOND ROUND OF TALKS Members of the GFB Policy Development Committee met in Macon Oct. 6 and Nov. 3 to prepare the policy GFB members will vote on at the organization’s convention in December. The committee met at the GFB headquarters in Macon to consider changes to policy that guides Farm Bureau’s legislative initiatives. The committee consists of 30 county presidents, the chairmen of GFB’s 20 commodity advisory committees, and 25 GFB board members. This year, 90 county Farm Bureaus submitted more than 350 resolutions. The Policy Development Committee is tasked with sorting through Farm Bureau’s existing policy and the resolutions submitted this fall to make recommendations for the voting delegates to consider at the annual convention in December. Most of the tax resolutions were about property taxes and the Conservation Use Value Assessment (CUVA). The concerns were prompted by a proposal in Georgia’s General Assembly to make changes to the program. After lengthy debate, the committee recommended caution when it comes to changing CUVA. Several resolutions were submitted in response to laws in some states calling for mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMO). The committee recommended a federal science-based voluntary GMO label and opposed restrictions to farmers planting GMO crops. The committee clarified its strong support for the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC) as a stand-alone, independent agency. There was no interest shown for having GSWCC attached to any other agency in state government. The committee expressed support for the current national beef checkoff which was passed by Congress in 1985. USDA Secretary Vilsack has expressed intent to propose an additional checkoff under the 1996 generic checkoff law. Having not seen the proposal, the committee was unable to respond to it, though the members were united in that any new checkoff should first be ratified by a producer referendum. The committee expressed support for new seed technologies on the horizon that would allow greater use of 2,4-D and dicamba. However, the group recognized the need for additional training in order to reduce the likelihood of drift and volatility problems. The committee will meet again for an open session of policy development at Jekyll Island on Dec. 7 at 2:45 p.m. followed by a closed session for committee members only. The purpose of this meeting is to make last-minute recommendations before the voting delegates consider the final document on Dec. 9 during the GFB Convention.