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Indiana Farm Bureau has awarded development grants to five county Farm Bureaus to support new or expanded county Farm Bureau programs or events that promote or provide education about agriculture.

The county Farm Bureaus that will receive financial assistance for programming this year are Benton, Clinton, Fulton, Huntington and Putnam counties.  

Each county Farm Bureau presented a new or expanded programming idea to INFB. The grant committee reviewed and approved the funds based on financial need and the potential impact of the program.

“Our county Farm Bureaus across the state put much of their focus each year on educating their communities about agriculture,” said Isabella Chism, INFB 2nd vice president. “The programs they launch get more and more creative each year. I’m excited to see that this year’s awarded counties are taking advantage of INFB grants to create programming that provides real value to their communities.”

This year’s INFB county program grants will support the following programs:

• Benton County Farm Bureau was awarded $1,500 to launch an agriculture awareness campaign for movie-goers in their community. The goal of the program is to promote agriculture with video spots that will play before each showing of a movie at the Fowler Theater in Fowler, Indiana. Benton County Farm Bureau will engage other local agriculture organizations in this project.
• Clinton County Farm Bureau was awarded $1,500 to launch a rural safety education program. The goal is to host an interactive safety clinic at the Clinton County Fairgrounds, covering on-farm and off-farm dangers and security procedures, such as grain bin safety, ATV safety, livestock handling safety, farm pond and water safety, and safe chemical handling. Clinton County Farm Bureau also is interested in using this opportunity to discuss opioid and alcohol abuse signs with its community.
• Fulton County Farm Bureau was awarded $1,500 to bring an interactive game show about agriculture to their county fair this summer. The trivia-based game, Wheels of Agriculture, is designed to educate the players and audience about animal and plant agriculture in an effort to teach the community about the origins of their food. Fulton County Farm Bureau is hoping to host the game show each evening of the fair.
• Huntington County Farm Bureau was awarded $1,000 to host its second “Breakfast on the Farm” event. This year the county will partner with a local dairy farmer. The community will be invited to visit the farm to have breakfast and learn how a modern farm operates. The goal of the breakfast is to demonstrate how agriculture plays a crucial role in the everyday life of each member of the community.
• Putnam County Farm Bureau was awarded $1,500 to initiate a training program for the county’s volunteer fire departments on how to appropriately handle a grain bin emergency. The county Farm Bureau also is working to secure the proper equipment for the fire departments to have on hand in the event of a grain bin accident.

INFB’s program development grants are issued annually. All Indiana county Farm Bureaus are eligible to apply. More information is available in the “ For Volunteers” section of INFB’s website.