The American Farm Bureau Federation adopted policy this week to support the continued inclusion of AM radios in vehicles.
The vice president of public policy for the group says the resolution stems from rural residents making their voices heard on the county and state level. Farm Bureau delegates shared the importance of AM radio as a means to stay informed.
“Agriculture is done where the land is, and a lot of our members who live in rural areas, some of which are very remote, FM is certainly not as reliable, sometimes cell phone services isn’t even available, usually AM is. And it’s a great opportunity for them to stay abreast of very important things like weather and news and keeps them connected. In many ways, it’s a safety issue. You might think of tornadoes or hurricanes or things of that nature, and it’s a great opportunity to stay informed, particularly when there’s no FM or cell phone service available.”
Sam Kieffer, AFBF VP of Public Policy
Kieffer says adopting the policy resolution will allow their team to advocate with lawmakers on the issue.
“Vehicle manufacturers have heard from the rural communities and agriculture in general and have made adjustments. But the adoption of this policy language means that we can get behind members of Congress who want to make sure that these communications capabilities and mechanisms are not restricted moving forward, either by government edict or by manufacturing trends.”
Sam Kieffer, AFBF VP of Public Policy
Kieffer says if something is important to rural America, then it is important to Farm Bureau.
