Member Benefits
Issues & Public Policy
Agricultural Feedstocks for Energy Production:
What's probable in 2015?
May 13, 2008
Presentation by Don Borgman, John Deere's Director of Agricultural Industry Relations for Florida Farm Bureau Field to the Hill Participants.
Washington Update: Trading Issues - Economy - Energy - Election/Impact - Farm Bill (Powerpoint zip: 1mb)
Visit our Water & Natural Resources section for Reports and Water Issue Links.
Agriculture is in a unique position to play an important role in producing enough energy to greatly decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil. Corn ethanol and biodiesel production have already been huge successes in the mid-west, producing an economically feasible, renewable fuel source that can be produced on the farm.
The goal of this report is to explore the potential for alternative energy production, examine the legislative and policy climate surrounding alternative energy, explain what efforts Florida Farm Bureau has undertaken to understand and support alternative energy production and to establish some recommendations for Florida Farm Bureau’s future involvement in support of this industry.
Download Report in PDF format.
Policy Development
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Click here to view the 2008 Florida Farm Bureau Policy Book or download the book in PDF format.
Advisory Committees
Current Committees
Apiculture, Aquaculture, Beef, Citrus, Dairy, Environmental Horticulture, Equine, Forestry, Labor, Oversight, Peanut/Cotton, Sod, Sugar, Tax, Trade, Vegetable and Water/Natural Resources
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Action Center
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FBACT
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Legislative Priorities
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Links
Florida State Legislature
Library of Congress Legislative Tracker
Issue Briefs
Food/Feed vs Fuel
Every day, rising food prices are being blamed on the production of ethanol. This debate is becoming increasingly heated among the general public as well as within the agricultural community. On one hand, the production of energy crops provides market opportunities for grain producers. But this also drives up feed cost for livestock producers.
Climate Change and Agriculture
Climate change is a hot-button environmental issue at the federal and state levels. Congress has made this issue a priority, and it will likely be a priority for a new Administration. Because agriculture & forestry can be greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters and mitigators, this poses both challenges and opportunities for Farm Bureau’s membership.
Immigration/Ag Labor
The ability of agricultural employers to obtain legal foreign workers is clearly one of the most important issues ever to face agriculture. Interior enforcement, border security and immigration reform has consistently been in the headlines and has elicited fierce debate.