Farm Bureau voices support for UCCE

Delegates at the California Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Monterey last week adopted new policy language in support of UC Cooperative Extension, according to a story in the federation's newspaper AgAlert.

Written by assistant editor Ching Lee, the story outlined the actions taken by delegates representing 53 county farm bureaus. These policies will guide the efforts of farm bureau leadership and staff, the article said.

In light of recent budget reductions to UCCE, the new policy said CFBF supports "an active and evolving" role for Cooperative Extension and that funding for its programs must be adequate to meet the needs of those it serves.

In other actions, the delegates:

• Reiterated their commitment to new water development
  
  
• Strengthened policy to protect agricultural land, specifically with respect to the construction of large-scale solar power facilities on privately owned ag land
  
  
• Recognized forestry management challenges caused by wilderness designation
  
  
• Reinforced opposition to regulatory fees that are collected on top of taxes or to supplant tax revenue

Additional policies adopted at the meeting addressed the disposal or treatment of ag drainage water, opportunities for high school and community college technical education and training, understanding how the new federal health care law will affect farm families, and changes in laws that impose estate and gift taxes.

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