Utah Farm Bureau lists ‘Issues to Watch For’ during 2024 legislative session

The Utah Farm Bureau, the state’s general farm and ranch organization with more than 35,000 member families, has released its list of “Issues to Watch For in 2024” as the 2024 Utah general legislative session unrolls in Salt Lake City.

“Though not exhaustive in scope,” the list is based on the Farm Bureau’s policy book, adopted at its convention in November and national priorities released at the beginning of the national convention, held recently in Salt Lake City. The policy book will guide the general farm and ranch organization’s public policy actions throughout the upcoming year, including during the current legislative session.

“It is important to note the policies advocated and defended by the Utah Farm Bureau come from the grassroots level, from actual farmers and ranchers on the ground and in the trenches — not simply from the ideas of one leader or board,” said ValJay Rigby, a grain and alfalfa farmer and cattle rancher from Cache County and newly elected president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. “These policies are developed through debate and deliberation in response to issues felt on the farms of the smallest towns as well as in the families of the largest cities in Utah.”

The bureau lists the following as Utah State issues:

• Water issues. It’s no surprise that water issues continue to take center stage at this year’s Legislature, as they remain of supreme concern for the Utah Farm Bureau and many Utahns. The bureau will be focused on myriad bills, including continued funding of the Agricultural Water Optimization grants and support for Gov. Cox’s request for $400,000 in ongoing funding for research related to water efficiencies. Additional efforts will focus on the Great Salt Lake and codifying definitions of “saved water.”
• Industry safeguards. The farm bureau will focus on several legislative efforts aimed at safeguarding threats to the industry. Chief among them will be supporting the funding of the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund. The fund is a primary mechanism used to fund agricultural land preservation. Another funding request supported by the bureau is for $1 million to provide grants to small meat, poultry, and fruit and vegetable processors to make immediate impacts to processing capacity to improve local food security. The bureau is also supporting a $1 million funding request to support the Division of Water Quality’s Agricultural Voluntary Incentive Program, which helps farmers and ranchers develop management plans that help maximize crop yields while staying in compliance with state water quality regulations.
• Liability protections for farms and ranches engaging in agritourism. As farms and ranches are becoming increasingly popular places for Utahns and others to visit, operators face liabilities from areas that are often in rural, unimproved areas that can present potential sources of injury. Legislation could enhance protections for farmers and ranchers who invite the public onto their land for agritourism activities.

Among the national issues supported by the Utah Farm Bureau is the passage by Congress of a new farm bill. “This legislation is a critical tool to ensure our nation’s food and farm security and to meet new challenges, continue innovating and advance sustainability goals,” the bureau said.

The bureau also seeks help in securing labor including revision of the H-2A visa program, which the agriculture community says doesn’t provide enough workers to meet the demand of many farms. The farm bureau has long called for a bipartisan, workable solution for labor reform and said it must be a top priority for lawmakers in 2024 to create meaningful labor reform.

The bureau said that many of the trade issues it faced in 2023 will continue into 2024. The U.S. Trade Representative’s case against Mexico to reverse its ban on biotech corn remains open under the provisions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). “This ban puts food security in Mexico in jeopardy and unfairly disadvantages America’s farmers, who are committed to growing safe and affordable food for families here in the U.S. and around the world,” the bureau said.