President’s Column – August/September 2023
Nebraska Farm Bureau is rooted in agriculture and Nebraska
It’s hard to believe three of my 10 grandkids have already started school, two have started preschool. Summer has flown by. Now that it is fall, crops are being harvested, cattle are being moved from summer pastures and our policy development process is underway. I hope you remember to be safe during this time. While farming and ranching takes a great deal of planning, forecasting, research and hard work to maximize potential profit, doing your job safely is even more important. It means you go home unharmed to your family each day.
As your president, I am proud of the fact that Nebraska Farm Bureau is the unified voice of agriculture. And that voice comes directly from our farm and ranch families. As a grassroots organization, our strength is rooted at the local level. This is where members become family, and together we foster innovation and bring forward policies to strengthen agriculture and our rural communities. The county level is not only critical to our success but where we embrace excellence. Farm Bureau is well known and respected for our advocacy work to advance smart policies at every level—from county boards to Congress. I encourage you to engage with your local county Farm Bureau on policy development and to think creatively about solving problems you are seeing on your farms or ranches.
Nebraska is at the cusp of pushing agriculture to the next level of innovation. Technology, like capturing the carbon produced from our Nebraska ethanol plants and piping it to other beneficial users or sending it to underground storage areas, will continue to ensure that Nebraska will be a leader in the low carbon fuel market. This innovation requires us to have uncomfortable conversations about carbon pipelines. Nebraska Farm Bureau policies support carbon infrastructure and pipelines as well as private property rights. Carbon companies working together with landowners to respect those private property rights will go a long way.
As the world around us evolves, we know that agriculture must also adapt to meet new challenges and opportunities. Farmers and ranchers do their best to do more with less. It’s how Nebraska farmers and ranchers are ensuring the long-term viability of their farms and ranches and our natural resources.
As harvest season comes into full swing, it serves as a testament to the hard work and dedication of Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers. It is a time when agriculture is active and vibrant and can be seen and felt across the state. Your resilience in the face of challenges makes Nebraska agriculture thrive. Let us remember to be safe, advocate for sound agricultural policies, and continue to foster the growth and prosperity of Nebraska’s agricultural industry.
Stay safe and be well!
Mark McHargue,
President
