A panel discussion at AFBF’s 2018 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show focused on a collaboration between AFBF and National Farmers Union called Farm Town Strong, which the Agriculture Department is supporting as part of its commitment to rural prosperity. The campaign uses the Farm Town Strong website to raise awareness of opioid addiction, and follows a joint survey by AFBF and NFU showing rural America is harder hit than urban areas. AFBF President Zippy Duvall explained in a recent Newsline (podcast) that the campaign should serve as a conversation starter in rural America.

“The thing that we need to understand and what’s so important about Farm Town Strong is that if we can get people to open up, and if we can get people to talk about it, and get the awareness of it, then we can get them some help,” Duvall said.