SAN ANTONIO — Without mentioning the name of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to be Health and Human Services secretary, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said members must engage with the Make America Healthy Again movement that supports Kennedy’s criticism of the American diet.

“With a new Congress and new administration in Washington, it’s an important time to engage with our leaders, and build relationships,” Duvall said in his opening address to the Farm Bureau membership at the group’s annual convention here.

“Many of them are not familiar with agriculture. And some of them have ideas that could set back years of progress in modern farming and food security. How we engage with those skeptics of modern agriculture is tremendously important,” Duvall said.

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“The truth is, we share many of the same values,” Duvall added. “Of course we want to achieve healthier outcomes in America, but it’s important to ground these conversations in science. Without real data, the results could send us backward. Your voice — our voices — have never been more important.”

Later at a news conference, Duvall brought up the Make America Healthy Again movement by name and said Farm Bureau members look forward to sharing the farmers’ efforts “to raise healthy foods for Americans.”

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In his speech to the membership, Duvall said Congress needs to pass a new farm bill this year.

“You all know what a tough battle the farm bill has been,” Duvall said.

“And, while we appreciate Congress passing another extension, we will not let up, despite lawmakers kicking the can down the road and making political excuses. Tens of thousands of you stepped up to help, and you can bet we’ll keep working together to get a modernized farm bill.”

Duvall told reporters that “thousands” of Farm Bureau members had sent messages about the need for disaster aid, but the reason Congress had to pass it was because members have not passed a new farm bill even though “conditions are different than in 2018.”

Duvall said that 141,000 farms have gone out of business over the last five years.

He also said farmers need a reliable source of labor at a reasonable price. 

“Everywhere I go across the country, I hear about your struggles to find skilled, reliable workers,” he said. “I hear you loud and clear about operating on razor-thin margins as labor costs rise. I promise you we won’t let up till we find a solution.”

“We rely on guest workers every day,” he said. “They deserve to be treated fairly, but we need programs that are fair to our farmers and ranchers.”

Duvall recalled the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to pull back on a rule “that would have extended Wall Street regulations all the way to the farm” as one of Farm Bureau’s greatest successes in 2024. 

“It was all but a done deal until thousands of you joined me to help the SEC understand that it would have been impossible for farmers to comply,” Duvall said.

“I never expected to get a personal phone call from the SEC chairman. No one in Washington believed we could impact a SEC rule. But we sure did. Last spring, SEC reversed course. We won that battle.”

Duvall told reporters he has not yet met Brooke Rollins, President Trump’s nominee for Agriculture secretary, but he has heard positive comments about her from the Texas Farm Bureau.