AFBF Replies to "60 Minutes"

April 11, 2000

The CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" devoted a major segment of its program Sunday evening to a critical look at the American Farm Bureau Federation, saying the AFBF supports large agribusiness companies while many of its members struggle with low prices and depleted incomes. AFBF President Bob Stallman calls it "malicious propaganda," especially criticism that AFBF is opposed to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

"Farm Bureau supports civil rights and voting rights," Stallman said in a statement. "We do, however, oppose federal election regulations that impose mandates on state governments – in particular those mandates that have led to a decrease in political representation for rural America. That sentiment is in our policy book, but our mission continues to focus on profitability and quality of life for America’s farm and ranch families."

The "60 Minutes" segment "is not the first time Farm Bureau has been the target of malicious propaganda," Stallman continued, and "we doubt that it’s the last. Our success representing American agriculture makes us a target of those opposed to our mission."

AFBF will continue to work toward two main goals, he concluded, "to enhance net farm income and to improve the quality of rural life."