Indiana Farm Bureau - News Releases

November 20, 2009

For more information: Organizational Development Team, 317-692-7815

Kathleen Dutro, 317-692-7824

Mindy Reef, 317-692-7822

Note to editors, news directors: The following release makes specific reference to LOTS of different counties. Perhaps one of the counties you cover is one of them.

County Farm Bureaus honored for advancing Indiana agriculture

Local and regional activities that promote agriculture and advance the goals of Indiana Farm Bureau were highlighted during the organization’s state convention awards session in Fort Wayne on Nov. 19. Achievements of county Farm Bureaus will be recognized for how they improved agriculture within a framework of five action goals identified by Indiana Farm Bureau.

Switzerland County FB was named Indiana Farm Bureau’s 2009 Most Valuable Player for its outstanding activities in all of the goal areas. Switzerland County FB met or exceeded all of the action goals, and received special recognition in three of the five areas.

Fifty-four county Farm Bureaus met or exceeded the annual membership goal of five new voting members, and seven were recognized for their extraordinary efforts:

Lake County FB challenged every county board member to sign a new member and executed a recruitment plan that resulted in 39 new members.
For the ninth year in a row, Ripley County FB had every board member sign a new Farm Bureau member.
In two days’ time, Franklin County FB was signed 14 new voting members during a special “Engage and Sign” mission. A solid plan by the membership chair person in advance led to success in a short period of time.
Switzerland County FB encouraged each board member to sign one new member. A focused membership area at the county fair and inviting non-Farm Bureau members to a property tax issue meeting led to an additional 20 members being signed up.
Newton County FB took advantage of the 2009 membership blitz and brought in 20 new Farm Bureau members.
With a board focus on contacting at least 3 to 5 members from a prospect list, Warrick County FB signed up 10 members in 10 days during the membership blitz with a total of 19 new members signed by the end of the year.
An emphasis on new and innovative ideas led to 16 new Farm Bureau members for the Vanderburgh County FB. A hog roast and a pre-holiday luncheon were among the member and non-member interaction activities hosted during the year.

Eighty-four county Farm Bureaus met or exceeded the annual Leadership Development goal, with three garnering special recognition:

Warren County FB held two special county board trainings, one to focus specifically on membership engagement and the other to take and apply the Myers-Briggs personality and leadership assessment.
The Wells County FB members consulted with experts to hone their skills in membership involvement and engagement.
The Clinton County FB board worked to create a mission, vision and county goals to make sure it was focused on the “right” things as an organization.

During the 2009 General Assembly, 60 county FBs brought at least three members to the Statehouse and met the goal for political engagement. Three county FBs were recognized for their special efforts:

Fountain County FB brought local elected officials to the Statehouse and focused its discussion with legislators on the local impact of the Kernan-Shepard reforms and property tax caps.
Despite its small size, Perry County FB brought a sizable delegation to the Statehouse and conducted very good face-to-face meetings with its legislators.
Crawford County FB had lengthy face time with its state representatives and explained the Farm Bureau position on a number of issues.

Fifty-seven county FBs met the goal of political activity by either hosting or participating in meetings with the members of the 2009 General Assembly. Again, three were recognized for their outstanding efforts:

Switzerland County FB held a number of small-group meetings with its legislators, once at the county president’s home and another time with county local government officials in attendance.
Even though it is a very rural county, the Pike County FB organized a very fruitful meeting with a very large member turn-out and local media exposure.
Steuben and DeKalb County FBs held a joint meeting during which they shared the workload to ensure a good turn out and solid face time with elected officials.

While virtually all 92 county FBs engage in public outreach activities, 58 actually met or exceeded the criteria to achieve the last action goal – enhance the image of agriculture by participating in a public relations campaign or program. Three county FBs were recognized for their extra efforts:

For the Elkhart County FB, engaging in issues, hosting meetings and providing the public with agricultural education are important parts of helping the public understand more about agriculture and Farm Bureau. Elkhart County Farm Bureau focused its efforts on the county fair, local health department water issues and outreach events like the Food Check-Out Day.
Beyond funding events and groups at the local level, Switzerland County FB promoted policy development, coordinated advertising campaigns, held education sessions and encouraged volunteerism to bring awareness to agriculture and to the Switzerland County Farm Bureau.

With a public relations committee in place to handle everything from news releases to the county newsletter, Decatur County FB was able enhance the image of agriculture through an extensive number of activities, volunteer time and money, and making sure the media knew about these great activities.

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