In his annual address to American Farm Bureau Federation members gathered for their annual meeting in Hawaii, President Bob Stallman pointed out that America’s farmers and ranchers are more productive than ever and are providing a solid economic foundation for our nation. The organization’s leader said - we are the one percent that is producing food and fiber for the other 99 percent.

According to Stallman, farm and ranch families are growing more food with fewer resources than ever before - over a 20-year period, corn yields are up 41 percent. Per bushel soil loss has fallen by 70 percent. And water use per bushel of corn is down 27 percent. Stallman noted that - all major crops show similar trends. He also extolled the record-breaking growth in U.S. agricultural exports over the past year.

Stallman took the opportunity to discuss Farm Bureau’s Systemic Risk Reduction Program proposal, which he said would help protect farmers from catastrophic losses while recognizing today’s budget realities. He called on Farm Bureau delegates, who will debate farm policy and other issues today (Tuesday), to put the organization on a solid footing.