ANAHIEM, Calif. (RFD NEWS) — The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention is underway in California, with major policy priorities taking center stage for farmers and ranchers nationwide.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins delivered a keynote address, urging Congress to pass nationwide, year-round E15 legislation. Rollins said permanent access to the higher ethanol blend would provide farmers with much-needed certainty while supporting domestic crop demand.
“While the Trump Administration has gone as far as we can regulatorily to provide EPA E15 waivers, Congress must now do its job and pass nationwide, year-round E15 legislation to continue to drive domestic crop demand, a clear win-win for farmers and consumers,” Rollins said. “Under President Trump’s leadership and our direction, our EPA has also proposed the highest and most aggressive Renewable Volume Obligation, or RVO, proposal in history, which, once final, will ensure corn and soy and sorghum producers have a long-term certainty and a demand stream domestically that is already helping consumer prices at the pump.”
While in California, Rollins also met with farmers who say they are in the crosshairs of a proposed infrastructure project by Pacific Gas and Electric. The company is seeking approval to shut down two dams on the Eel River, citing that hydropower at those sites is no longer economical and that fish safety regulations have become too costly. If approved, the plan would remove the dams and allow the river to flow naturally. Rollins has asked federal regulators to reject the company’s application.
The Farm Bill was also a major topic at the convention. AFBF President Zippy Duvall emphasized the need for continued pressure on Congress to pass a new five-year law.
“We advocated for long-overdue changes to risk management programs — and Congress delivered through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Duvall said. “It’s a historic investment of nearly $70 billion to modernize the farm programs farmers depend upon. We still need a new Farm Bill, and we will keep holding Congress accountable to deliver that and other critical support for agriculture.”
Duvall called the current economy the toughest in a generation and stressed the importance of farmers and ranchers staying engaged with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
