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Indiana Farm Bureau members highlight priorities with lawmakers
Indiana Farm Bureau members from across the state discussed priorities with lawmakers during the organization’s recent Legislative Forum.
Andy Tauer is the executive director of public policy.
“The organization took a little bit of a different path this year and we have thee broad priority sets: rural viability, energy, and taxes,” he says. “…One of the bills that one of our team members has been working on all session is home-based vendor legislation. Home-based vendor legislation was a priority for INFB in the 2020 session. We weren’t able to get everything we wanted so we’re back again this year and it looks like that is moving well for us.”
He says rural viability is critical to Indiana Farm Bureau.
“A lot of it hit home when we saw the Census base and we saw that migration out of rural Indiana into more suburban and urban centers. As you think about Indiana Farm Bureau, our core is the most rural centers and so how do we keep rural Indiana viable as we go to the future,” he says. “Part of this priority set this year is taking a longer-term look at issues that are going to impact agriculture in rural Indiana.”
Tauer says INFB members will continue to be active at the Indiana Statehouse during the legislative session.
“It’s a great opportunity to build on those relationships that they’ve formed at the grassroots level as the come to the statehouse in Indianapolis,” he says. “This year is a short session of the Indiana General Assembly, and they are not letting the grass grow under their feet over at the statehouse and so things are moving quickly.”
He says the bottom line is that the broad priority set is about looking toward the future for agriculture and rural communities in Indiana to make sure they remain viable and that there is sound energy policy and tax policy to ensure rural Indiana isn’t being overburdened.
Audio: Andy Tauer
