ANAHEIM, Calif. (RFD NEWS) — Farmer and rancher delegates closed the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual convention by adopting a wide-ranging set of policy positions to guide the organization’s work in 2026, underscoring economic pressure across U.S. agriculture. Voting delegates emphasized rising input costs, trade imbalances, and weak commodity prices as shared challenges facing operations of all sizes.
Delegate polling showed nearly 99 percent of voting members operate family farms, with more than two-thirds representing small- to mid-size operations under USDA definitions. That data framed policy discussions centered on labor access, animal health, market risk, and farm viability.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins also delivered a keynote address, announcing policies that strengthen risk-management protections for dairy producers and promote the prioritization of locally produced foods in institutional purchasing programs, such as schools, and outlining USDA policy goals for the new year, including pushing Congress to legalize year-round E15 nationwide.
Key actions included formal support for the updated Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology within farm labor programs, paired with calls to reduce future wage volatility. Delegates also backed expanded federal investment in agricultural research and biosecurity, including targeted efforts to eradicate New World screwworm and maintain restrictions on cattle imports from Mexico until the pest is controlled.
Members also directed AFBF leadership to further study the impacts of tariffs and the availability of insurance for poultry growers.
The convention concluded with the unanimous re-election of President Zippy Duvall and Vice President Scott VanderWal to new two-year terms.
USDA Expands Dairy Safety Net, Commodity Purchases Announced
USDA unveiled new support measures for farmers during the American Farm Bureau Federation convention, expanding Dairy Margin Coverage for 2026 and authorizing additional Section 32 purchases of U.S.-grown commodities to support farm income and nutrition programs.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that enrollment for the 2026 Dairy Margin Coverage program opened January 12 and runs through February 26. Changes authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reestablish DMC through 2031, raise Tier 1 coverage from 5 million to 6 million pounds of milk, and allow producers to reset production history using their highest milk marketings from 2021 through 2023. Producers may also lock in coverage levels for six years at a 25 percent premium discount.
USDA also confirmed upcoming Section 32 purchases to increase U.S.-grown foods in nutrition channels, support producers, and advance the administration’s health priorities. Rollins later met with California specialty crop producers to discuss labor needs and highlighted recent actions to reduce H-2A labor costs.
Industry groups, including the National Milk Producers Federation, urged eligible dairy farmers to enroll as milk prices soften entering 2026.
