Page 110 - Farm Bill Series_The 7 Things You Should Know

from rural places. But where farmers live has to have a high enough quality of life in those
rural communities so that the next generation will be willing to live and work there.”

After Matteson’s death, AFBF’s new director of Rural Development Lisa Benson continued the
organization’s rural development push. AFBF – together with Georgetown University’s
McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the Georgetown
Entrepreneurship Initiative’s StartupHoyas – launched the Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship
Challenge – the first national business competition focused exclusively on rural entrepreneurs
working on food and agriculture businesses. Rural entrepreneurs pitch innovative business ideas
to a team of judges with expertise in business development and agribusiness. These business
owners compete for $145,000 of startup funds.

But even as more farm organizations were embracing their “inner rural,” the topic
continued to receive relatively little attention compared to other farm bill titles.

“The farm economy was
strong enough to encourage
more young people to look at
agriculture,” recalled a
commodity group leader.
“Few people were focused
on the cyclical nature of
agriculture, and the next
downturn.” As the last farm
bill was being developed in
2011 and 2012, farmers were
once again receiving record
prices for their crops and
livestock. For many of them,
thoughts about investing
more in rural development
once again moved to the
back burner.

“Everybody is for things
like research and rural
development, but when it
comes to writing a new
farm bill, there is no
question that the priorities
are on the basic farm
programs, crop insurance,
risk management…. the
payment system,” former
Secretary of Agriculture Dan
Glickman told Agri-Pulse.

108 www.Agri-Pulse.com