Mississippi Farm Bureau Priority Issues

Agriculture is the backbone of rural economies and much of Mississippi’s economy is derived from farming or farm-related activities. Agriculture and forestry are two of the most important and largest industries in the state today.

PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE

Maintaining existing check-off programs in the state.

Protection of animal husbandry practices based on sound science.

Protection of 16th Section property for agriculture lease purposes.

TAXATION

Maintain all producer/agriculture exemptions.

Oppose unfunded mandates passed down to county governments.

ENVIRONMENT

Adequate funding for the MS Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

Regulatory and legislative issues based only on sound scientific data.

Adequate funding for animal health issues.

Ensure animal waste and fertilizers are not labeled as hazardous waste.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

We support the protection of private property rights.

Protecting agriculture producers from liability and nuisance lawsuits when carrying out normal production practices.

ENERGY

Use alternative energy as a sustainable source of energy.

Procure net metering and interconnectivity.

STATE AGENCIES

We oppose the merging of the Mississippi Forestry Commission with any state agency.

We oppose the merging of the Soil and Water Commission with any state agency.

RESEARCH, EXTENSION & EDUCATION

We urge full support of the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University.

We support keeping the Agricultural Units budgets separate from IHL funding.

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation 2011 Policy Book, as adopted by the voting delegates on December 5, 2010, remains the binding policy of the organization. The aforementioned legislative priorities are the issues of utmost importance to production agriculture during the current session of the Legislature.