Stay Informed

Indiana Farm Bureau’s annual convention was held Dec. 9-10 in French Lick, Indiana. The theme was “Welcome Home,” and the event provided opportunities for members to meet, mingle and recognize the achievements of individuals and county Farm Bureaus.

YF&AP Discussion Meet

Justin Johnson, Whitley County, is the winner of the 2021 Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Discussion Meet. Johnson receives a $4,000 cash prize from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and expenses paid to the national convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

The three runners-up were Kyla Schroeder of Perry County, Joseph Tempel of Spencer County and Jessica Baggerman of Huntington County. Runners-up each receive $1,000 from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.

Membership awards

Premier Performer (presented to the volunteer who writes the highest number of new voting members) – Jan Uhlmansiek, Dearborn, 11 new members.

Top Performers (presented to the volunteers who recruit 10 or more new voting members during the program year) – Uhlmansiek; Matt Maxwell, Porter, 10 new members.

Superior Defender (presented to the county with the highest number of new memberships written by volunteers) – Allen County.

District Defenders (presented to the county in each district with the highest overall retention percentage of voting members): District 1 – Pulaski, 97.24% retention, 2 new members; District 2 – Allen, 96.09% retention, 11 new members; District 3 – Tippecanoe, 97.28% retention, 7 new members; District 4 – Adams, 97.71% retention, 4 new members; District 5 – Morgan, 96.01% retention, 5 new members; District 6 – Wayne, 98.24% retention, 10 new members; District 7 – Knox, 96.36% retention, 10 new members; District 8 – Johnson, 97.11% retention, 3 new members; District 9 – Gibson, 96.16% retention, 5 new members; District 10 – Washington, 97.00% retention, 9 new members.

County Activities of Excellence (CAE) program

Designed to celebrate innovative activities developed by county Farm Bureaus, the CAE program offers five categories. The top county in each category wins $2,000 to be applied toward improving one of its programs:

• Miami County Farm Bureau – “Tell Our Story.” Miami County increased the number of Facebook posts to keep members and non-members up to date on local, state and national happenings after its local newspaper went from publishing six days a week to only two.
• Dearborn County Farm Bureau – Positive member experience. The county partnered with Dearborn County Extension and Dillsboro Family Market to provide milk and other dairy products to the community. An estimated 500 families were served.
• Elkhart County Farm Bureau – Grow membership. Elkhart County created a vertical garden out of 5-gallon buckets and provided the template to local schools to implement the same program in the classroom. This program taught approximately 650 students how to grow some of their own food.
• Rush County Farm Bureau – Successful advocacy. In the past year, Rush County Farm Bureau got involved in local zoning issues, placed more ag-friendly individuals on the zoning boards, developed deeper relationships with local representatives, and ultimately obtained a seat on the Rush County Economic and Community Development Corporation board.
• Decatur County Farm Bureau – Improve awareness. The county partnered with the Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce to kick off summer 2021 with an ag breakfast and a meet-and-greet featuring Ted McKinney, U.S. under secretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. These events were a fundraiser for the Indiana Agricultural Law Foundation.

INFB Book of the Year

My Family’s Soybean Farm, written by Katie Othoff and illustrated by Joe Hox, is INFB’s 2022 Book of the Year. The BOTY program is coordinated by the INFB Women’s Leadership Committee. Since its inception in 2017, INFB and county Farm Bureaus have distributed more than 8,500 books to schools, teachers and libraries.

AgELECT virtual silent auction

This year’s auction was held virtually Dec. 6-10 and raised nearly $19,000 for AgELECT, INFB’s state political action committee.