This week, seven voting delegates and two alternates from Virginia Farm Bureau Federation will join Farm Bureau producer members from across the nation in shaping policies important to farmers and ranchers.

This will take place at the 2018 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention, which will be held Jan. 5-10 in Nashville, Tenn.

AFBF convention attendees also are slated to hear from President Donald J. Trump. “President Trump has said all along that he would make sure agriculture has a seat at the table when it comes to the top issues facing America’s farmers and ranchers,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “It is our privilege to reserve a spot for him at our podium.”

Duvall added that Trump’s speech at the convention is a sign of the high regard in which the nation’s chief executive holds America’s farm and ranch families. He will discuss key issues on the presidential agenda that could help farmers turn the economic corner in 2018.

“President Trump is fully aware of the economic difficulties farmers and ranchers have gone through these past few years,” Duvall said. “The economic issues he has outlined, including reform of our nation’s tax and regulatory systems, match many of the issues on Farm Bureau’s agenda.”

Those issues will be addressed by thousands of voting delegates at the convention. Those from Virginia include VFBF President Wayne F. Pryor of Goochland County; VFBF Vice President Scott Sink of Franklin County; William Coffee of Lunenburg County; Tommy Motley of Pittsylvania County; Jeremy Moyer of Amelia County; Brandy Puckett of Carroll County; and Channing Snoddy of Fluvanna County. The alternate delegates are Stephanie Cornnell of Prince William County and Bruce Warner of Russell County.

The VFBF delegates will help formulate AFBF policies for 2018 related to biotechnology; food safety and labeling; immigration reform; comprehensive U.S. energy policy; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandates on water and air quality; and the 2018 Farm Bill.

Farmers attending this year’s convention also will have the opportunity to attend workshops to help them improve their operations and stay current on agriculture-related issues.

For more information about the AFBF convention, visit fb.org/events/afbf-annual-convention.  Keep up with the action on social media using #AFBF18 and via AFBF’s Social Media Sites:

• AFBF articles & podcasts: https://www.fb.org/related/AFBF18
• www.facebook.com/AmericanFarmBureau
• www.twitter.com/FarmBureau
• www.flickr.com/photos/farmbureau/
• www.instagram.com/americanfarmbureau/