ORLANDO, Fla. (DTN) -- After 16 years of leading the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bob Stallman highlighted reasons for farmers to celebrate at his farewell address Sunday, but the outgoing national president also stressed the need for Farm Bureau to continue its diligence against "reams of government regulation."
Farm Bureau delegates will vote Tuesday on a new president for the organization. Stallman sought to set the stage for the next AFBF president by stressing free-market principles and the importance of farmer engagement to resist bureaucratic intrusion.
"Generations of farmers and ranchers have survived bad markets and bad weather, but bad government should not be the straw that breaks us," Stallman told the roughly 5,000 or so people attending the convention.
Stallman pointed to the EPA-Army Corps of Engineers rule on waters of the U.S., saying the rule last year highlighted "one of the worst examples of over-regulation." He also criticized EPA for "aggressive campaign-style tactics to mislead the public" on the implication of the WOTUS rule.
"When rainwater runs across a farm field is all it takes to allow federal agencies to tell you that you cannot use your land, that is government regulation run amok," Stallman said.
Stallman later told reporters he expects Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups to continue pushing for relief from Congress on the waters of the U.S. rule rather than wait for the rule to move through the federal court system.
Highlighting the current contentious political environment, Stallman said he believed Farm Bureau reflects the country's founding principles of individual liberty, limited government and free markets. At the same time, Stallman also seemed to jab at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump whose slogan is "Make America Great Again." Stallman said, "One of the current presidential candidates says he will, 'Make America Great Again!' Well, I think America is still great. But to keep it great we should never lose sight of those founding principles."
As an organization, Stallman said Farm Bureau should revisit those founding principles. He then questioned the role of the government safety net. "When we ask for the aid of government, we should not be surprised when we find ourselves bound by the chains of government!" Stallman said.