Farmers and agribusiness professionals met at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds for the Indiana Farm Bureau’s (INFB) delegate session over the weekend to discuss issues such as water rights, property taxes, renewable energy, land use, and rural broadband.
The session, which attracted 233 people, has a major role in deciding what INFB’s policy positions will be ahead of the 2025 legislative session.
Randy Kron, president of the INFB, said when it comes to water rights, his group is typically concerned about quality, but this year is different.
“This year, with the LEAP district, (we talked about) water quantity and how do we protect agricultural interests, and how do we make sure we come up with some guidelines and guardrails for some protections,” he said.
The LEAP district, or the LEAP pipeline project, is an industrial district being developed in Lebanon that has raised questions over who has the right to use the state’s natural water supply.
Read more: Chamber: Indiana needs a statewide water plan to avoid conflicts over development
Property taxes were also a large point of discussion, with delegates asking for an overall modernization of how farmland taxes are calculated.
Andy Tauer, INFB’s executive director of public policy, said the group needs to work with local governments to better understand how property tax dollars are being spent after the base rate for agricultural land went up 26.4 percent in 2024 compared to 2023.
“Are there opportunities for efficiencies and streamlining of local governments as well?” he said. “So we're not looking at just one side of that ledger, and we're actually taking a more comprehensive look at both sides of how the taxes are collected, and then, ultimately, what they're spent on.”
INFB’s policy development begins at the local level, with counties making suggestions before they’re brought to the delegate session. From there, the board of directors determines priorities for the 2025 state legislative session.
All Farm Bureaus around the country will share concerns with the American Farm Bureau Federation for policy direction in Washington, D.C.
