Excerpt
AS an organization that represents nearly 80 percent of the farmers in the United States, the American Farm Bureau Federation pays close attention to the impact of farming on the environment. To help farmers deal with environmental issues, AFBF develops programs that cover a wide variety of issues. These programs can be loosely categorized as either improving environmental awareness of members or enhancing public awareness of agriculture's commitment to environmental stewardship. We have found that making farmers aware of why and how to protect the environment is not always enough. Researchers, the media, and the public also need to be aware of the challenges and the changes that farmers are making to deal with these issues.
Farmer awareness programs
AFBF is first and foremost a voluntary membership organization run by and for farmers. Members continue to request programs that are designed to improve farmer awareness about the environmental consequences of farming activities.
Soil compaction workshops. In 1984, AFBF developed a program “Farm Partners: Have You Hugged Your Soil Lately?” to educate farmers about the economic impacts of soil compaction. A leader's guide and a slidehpe show accompanied the half-day workshop (I).
In retrospect, the workshop had greater success with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Extension Service and with university researchers than it did with the state Farm Bureau organizations. State Farm Bureau leaders reasoned that soil compaction education was not their specialty and …
Footnotes
A. Ann Sorensen is assistant director and James W Porterfield is associate director for natural and environmental resources, American Farm Bureau Federation, 225 Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois 60068.
- Copyright 1991 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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