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AFBF president guest on NFU opioid panel

Rural America is feeling the pain of the opioid crisis and the two largest farmer groups are working on solutions. Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall told National Farmers Union members at their annual convention in Kansas City he is proud to be working with his friend, NFU President Roger Johnson, on this issue with their FarmTownStrong initiative. Duvall agrees that the stigma over opioid addiction needs to end, “We should Love them enough to want to help them. And that’s what this Farm Town Strong campaign is about. You know, that we have some way to refer them to a resource, a family to a resource, where they can go look for help. And, to be able to be a real true loving neighbor.”

Johnson says there is much being done to attack the opioid problem but local folks have the greatest impact, “While it’s a BIG problem on the national level, I think it cries out for local solutions.”

Johnson says they were shocked to learn that half of rural residents surveyed said they’ve been impacted by the opioid crisis. Johnson was on the AFBF opioid panel at its convention in Nashville.

Johnson has been reelected unanimously as National Farmers Union president, running unopposed. The election for vice president is tomorrow.