As others have noted, FB is a large organization with diverse interests
at the chapter level. I do not pretend to know enough about them to
condemn or praise actions locally, e.g. the examples given in other
responses of farm ownership defense in Wisconsin and inconsistent water
management practices in Kansas.
But I will note that FB frequently backs its national policy positions
with the claim that they are the largest farmers' organization in the
U.S., implying that their membership's views are represented, when really
they just use their insurance sales numbers to push top-down lobbying
efforts. Here in North Carolina, they claim a membership number that
greatly exceeds the total number of farmers in the state.
As Joel Bach points out:
> X It defends its members against
> X grazing reform
> X the National Biological Survey
> X "one world government"
> X and the Clean Water Act
Thing is, it defends its members against those things whether they want
to be "defended" or not.
David Waller
Farm Plan Advocates, Inc.