{"id":95854,"date":"2026-07-15T08:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-farm-bureau-president-takes-states-ag-priorities-to-washington\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T08:46:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:46:01","slug":"delaware-farm-bureau-president-takes-states-ag-priorities-to-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-farm-bureau-president-takes-states-ag-priorities-to-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Delaware Farm Bureau President Takes State’s Ag Priorities to Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Delaware Farm Bureau (DEFB) President Bill Powers made his way to Washington, D.C. in early July to represent the state organization at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) annual Council of Presidents gathering. The meeting brings Farm Bureau presidents from all across the nation together to address national agricultural priorities, leadership matters, and the policy challenges facing farmers and ranchers throughout the country.<\/p>

During the sessions, Farm Bureau leaders received briefings on a range of important topics. Those included findings from AFBF’s Women in Agriculture study and related programs, the Growing a Healthier America initiative, an agricultural economic outlook presented by USDA Chief Economist Dr. Justin Benavidez, midterm election analysis from The Russell Group, and insights shared by USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden.<\/p>

While in the nation’s capital, President Powers visited the offices of Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons, as well as Representative Sarah McBride, to raise concerns central to Delaware’s farming community \u2014 most notably the push for an updated Farm Bill. As a gesture of goodwill, he presented each office with a photograph from the 2025 Delaware Farm Bureau Photo Contest to be displayed in their offices.<\/p>

President Powers also participated in legislative and industry receptions organized by AFBF, giving him the chance to network with congressional staff, agricultural stakeholders, industry partners, and fellow Farm Bureau leaders from around the country.<\/p>

The Council of Presidents wrapped up with meetings held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where attendees heard directly from several administration officials. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett spoke about the council’s role in shaping economic and agricultural policy, along with the administration’s work to tackle challenges confronting farmers and ranchers. Ambassador Julie Callahan, serving as Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, provided an update on trade priorities \u2014 including efforts to broaden market access, review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and pursue trade policies that open meaningful doors for American agriculture.<\/p>

Other presentations came from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, who stressed the value of keeping communication lines open with the farming community and expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with Farm Bureau leaders. Attendees also heard from Justin Schwab, General Counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, who outlined the council’s role in coordinating federal environmental policy and its work with agencies on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).<\/p>

The annual gathering serves as a critical platform for state Farm Bureau leaders to connect with federal policymakers, stay informed on emerging issues, and make sure agriculture has a seat at the table in national conversations. By attending these meetings and sitting down directly with Delaware’s congressional delegation, President Powers worked to bring the concerns and goals of Delaware farmers into focus as ongoing policy decisions continue to shape the future of agriculture.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delaware Farm Bureau President Bill Powers traveled to Washington, D.C. in early July to represent the organization at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Council of Presidents meeting. During the visit, Powers met with Delaware’s congressional delegation to advocate for key agricultural issues, including the need for a modernized Farm Bill. He also attended briefings from top federal officials on topics ranging from trade policy to environmental regulation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":95853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[862,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784119560330.png?fit=819%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-oW2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43468,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-farm-bureau-thanks-lawmakers-at-national-agriculture-day-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":95854,"position":0},"title":"Delaware Farm Bureau Thanks Lawmakers at National Agriculture Day Event","author":"Admin","date":"March 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Delaware Farm Bureau's Promotion & Engagement Committee organized a special luncheon on March 24, 2026, bringing together state legislators and agricultural advocates to celebrate National Agriculture Day. 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The event, hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation Women's Leadership program, was held in recognition of the International\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Agriculture"","block_context":{"text":"Agriculture","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/agriculture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781793943685.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781793943685.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781793943685.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781793943685.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46383,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/local-farm-bureau-brings-agriculture-education-to-delaware-elementary-schools\/","url_meta":{"origin":95854,"position":3},"title":"Local Farm Bureau Brings Agriculture Education to Delaware Elementary Schools","author":"Admin","date":"April 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation volunteers visited over 10 elementary schools statewide during Agricultural Literacy Week in March. 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