Virginia Farm Bureau Critical Legislative Issues for the 2012 General Assembly

Animal Care

Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to defeat and amend legislation that would place arbitrary and unscientific animal husbandry practice restrictions on farmers. Virginia farmers are committed to professional animal care practices for livestock and poultry as directed by scientific research provided by our land grant colleges and universities. Virginia has strong laws penalizing individuals for cases of animal cruelty.

Game Laws

As a follow-up to a directive from the 2011 General Assembly, we would like to update legislators on the outcomes of the DGIF kill permit study committee. The primary areas for improvement were: consistent application of rules; central contact point for applications and complaints; and capturing accurate data for the entire program. Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to: Evaluate any legislative solutions to address property and crop damage caused by elk migrating outside of the approved reintroduction areas to make sure the interests of farmers are protected Support increased funding for the state portion of the state/federal coyote control programs Oppose legislation allowing hunting on Sunday

Property Rights

Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to: Support the second passage of a constitutional amendment by the General Assembly to go on the ballot in November 2012 to permanently protect property owners from eminent domain takings for private benefit Oppose any attempts to weaken 2007 statutory changes to Virginias law that closed Kelo decision loopholes Ensure that landowners are fairly compensated for factors that impact the fair market value as lost profits and lost access are defined by the General Assembly

Virginia Cooperative Extension/ Agriculture Experiment Station

As a follow-up to a directive from the 2011 General Assembly, we would like to update legislators on the outcomes of the Secretary of Educations study ensuring accountability for funding for Virginia Cooperative Extension and making the allocations more transparent. Virginia Farm Bureau continues to advocate for adequate funding to achieve our members goal of having one agriculture agent, one 4-H agent and one administrative staff person in each county. We support the development of a commending resolution on the Agriculture Experiment Stations 125th Anniversary to highlight the programs that have helped support farm profitability.

Water Quality

Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to: Oppose attempts to weaken Virginias law allowing farmers to utilize Resource Management Plans to address requirements from TMDL and other federal water quality mandates Provide adequate, consistent and reliable funding to increase participation and implementation of conservation practices in order for Virginia to meet its water quality commitments Ensure that local Soil and Water Conservation Districts build their technical capacity to distribute and administer conservation funding for agriculture best management practices in order for Virginia to achieve its water quality commitments