Actions from the Alabama Legislature’s 2018 Regular Session will aid farmers and rural families, said Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell.

“Our economy is strong, and this gave legislators the flexibility to address some of the challenges keeping rural Alabama from enjoying the same benefits as our cities and towns,” Parnell said.

Federation priorities passed included

Improving broadband access through the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Act
Clarifying existing irrigation tax credits for farmers
Increasing flexibility in targeting federal funds to high-impact projects, including irrigation
Specifying the current state sales tax exemption applies when a farmer cultivates and harvests an agricultural product on leased or rented land
Exempting from state sales tax gross receipts from the sale of pine straw products by the person harvesting the product

Ag and forestry also fared well in the state’s Education Trust Fund (ETF) and General Fund (GF) budgets. 

The GF budget funded the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) program at $575,000 and provides $81,403 in matching funds to help Alabama expand on-farm irrigation.

The ETF budget set aside $5.4 million for the career tech initiative, including $300,000 for educational programs like Ag in the Classroom.

Read more at AlfaFarmers.org.