WV Farm Bureau Magazine June 2014 | Page 4

PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS It’s Time for Some Field Work B b Stallman, P id Bob S ll President, A American F i Farm B Bureau F d Federation i Farmers have thrown open the doors of the machine shed, greased up the gears and cranked up their diesels. It’s farming season! With Congress in session only a few days between now and August, this also is a good time to gear down and throttle up on agriculture’s policy priorities. Refueling Immigration Reform In February, thousands participated in the #IFarmImmigration campaign to bring attention to farmers’ and ranchers’ labor challenges. That same month, more than 600 business organizations, including Farm Bureau, signed a letter urging House leaders to move forward with immigration reform. Since then, the engine has idled a bit, and we can’t let that happen. It’s time to tell Congress to refuel immigration reform. Without a legal, stable supply of labor, farmers will continue to face labor shortages and lost crops, and the public will face the loss of economic activity from agriculture and the risk that more of their food will come from other countries. Clean up the Pile of Expired Tax Provisions Some in Congress are working to renew tax policies that expired last year. Congress has allowed the wo ɬ