Stay Informed

2021 was another challenging year for Indiana Farm Bureau – and its members.

But despite challenges, Farm Bureau was able to adapt and remain effective at the national, state and local levels.

“Our members participated in county meetings from their tractors, combines and planters, and they attended a record number of virtual Statehouse visits,” INFB President Randy Kron said in his annual remarks at the state convention.

Also notable in 2021 was the success of Indiana Farm Bureau Health Plans, which now have more than 2,100 active plans after the first full year coverage was available. This equates to nearly 5,000 lives covered.

Listed below are some of the activities, events and initiatives that INFB, its staff and its members worked on in 2021.

Advertising

To support the introduction of Indiana Farm Bureau Health Plans in 2021, INFB partnered with Hirons, an Indianapolis-based ad agency, to create a digital advertising campaign designed to build awareness of the new offerings. The campaign targeted sole proprietors under age 65.

The campaign, which began in late January, also encouraged people who were experiencing buyer’s remorse because of the cost of their ACA plan to enroll in INFB Health Plans’ more affordable options.

The campaign, which ran for 23 weeks, proved highly successful, generating more than 10.6 million impressions (the number of times an ad is shown on the screen) and 19,000 clicks to the INFB Health Plans website. Facebook was the most efficient of all advertising channels, delivering over 3.3 million impressions.  

“Overall we were quite pleased with the performance of this campaign, especially the number of people it drove to the website,” said Debra DeCourcy, executive director of marketing for INFB. “Because of the success of the 2021 campaign, we developed new ads for 2022 which launched in January and will continue through the end of the year.”

Advocacy

For INFB and its members, advocacy took many forms in 2021, some of them new to Farm Bureau. With the Statehouse closed to in-person visits, members instead met with their legislators virtually. During the session, more than 300 members from 69 counties participated in 443 virtual Statehouse visits.

Members also responded to INFB’s action alerts, with approximately 1,400 messages sent to legislators from more than 550 members. In addition, 1,357 members responded to INFB surveys, more than 1,000 tuned in to the Friday legislative updates, and more than 20,000 people were reached by INFB’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

INFB hosted virtual Advocacy Days for the benefit of three different groups. Sixty-two students from five classrooms participated in FFA Advocacy Training; 30 people participated in the advocacy day sponsored by the Young Farmers & Ag Professionals; and 37 women participated in the event sponsored by the Women’s Leadership Committee.

Broadband

Expanding high-speed broadband to both the unserved and underserved parts of the state was INFB’s top policy priority for 2021, and thanks largely to the lobbying efforts of its members, the 2021 Indiana General Assembly allocated $250 million for the Next Level Connection Broadband Grants Program, which provides funds for the deployment of broadband infrastructure around the state.

INFB also launched a broadband campaign – “Broadband: The Connection to Indiana’s Future.” The campaign helped lawmakers understand the need for rural broadband not just for communities that are unserved but also for those that are underserved. It included tactics such as push-cards that explained the issue to legislators using personal stories from members, a VoterVoice survey gathering information on the issues members face when trying to connect to the internet and social media posts.

An important part of INFB’s broadband efforts was when it formed the Indiana Broadband Strategic Partnership (IBSP). More than 40 Indiana organizations have joined this partnership, and the number continues to grow.

One of the IBSP’s main projects is the Indiana Speed Test ( www.infb.org/speedtest), which launched in mid-2021. This crowd-sourced test collects data that will be available to local governments and organized broadband groups to analyze potential solutions and aid their applications for Indiana’s Next Level Connections grants and a variety of federal grants. As of mid-January 2022, the test had been taken more than 22,000 times from nearly 18,000 locations.

Collegiate Farm Bureau/FFA

INFB sponsors collegiate chapters at Purdue, Vincennes and Huntington universities. All three met on a regular basis using a hybrid schedule. The program held many virtual calls to facilitate networking, learning more about other ag companies, and learning the importance of advocacy. INFB also hosted two in-person Collegiate Discussion Meets, in which close to 30 participated.

INFB sponsored many youth events this past year. In addition to the annual FFA Advocacy Day that was hosted virtually, the organization held an in-person training for FFA state officer candidates as well as its first Elite Leadership Luncheon that recognized local FFA chapters that focus on ag literacy in their communities.

Convention and conferences

• INFB held an in-person convention in 2021 in French Lick, Indiana, with the theme “Welcome Home.” Due to social distancing guidelines, registrations were limited to around 800 people, but the event provided opportunities for members to meet, mingle and recognize the achievements of individuals and county Farm Bureaus. Delegates reelected INFB President Randy Kron to his third term.

• The resolutions committee was able to meet in person, but the August delegate session was held virtually on Aug. 28, when 225 members from across the state met to determine the organization’s policy positions for 2022. Broadband internet access, climate change and carbon credits, renewable energy, public health and education were among the issues addressed.

• Indiana Agricultural Law Foundation’s 2021 Estate and Succession Planning for the Family Farm workshop was a three-hour virtual event, and it was attended by 283 people. The event was aimed at farmers as well as attorneys.

• The INFB Drainage School was presented virtually and in person, with 45 in-person and 119 virtual participants.

Educational outreach efforts

• A total of 128 Indiana volunteers participated in Agriculture in the Classroom in 2021, reaching approximately 50,000 students.

• The AITC workshop was held in four locations, drawing a total of 121 attendees, including 63 first-time attendees and 73 educators.

• An offshoot of AITC was the Adopt a Classroom program. Sixty-one classrooms across the state have been matched with AITC volunteers since this program began in fall 2020, and 2,200 students were reached.

• The Book of the Year program celebrated its fifth anniversary with Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish. A total of 65 counties participated and helped to distribute 1,356 copies of the book to schools, libraries and elsewhere.

Indiana Ag Law Foundation

INAgLaw, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by INFB in 2005, raised more than $140,000 in 2021. The funds were raised via a donation match program approved by the INFB board of directors and through the generosity of 61 county Farm Bureaus as well as family farms, individuals and agribusinesses.

Among the important cases INAgLaw worked on was one involving the Houin family of Marshall County and nearby Lake of the Woods. It resulted in a significant judgment against the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in favor of the Houins. It’s being appealed by the DNR at the appellate court level, and a decision is expected early this year.

Indiana State Fair

• In 2021, INFB continued its focus on youth programs with the sponsorship of the Exhibitor Experience as well as the Supreme Drive and showmanship contests, offering branded items to more than 2,000 animal project exhibitors and prizes to Supreme Showmanship and Supreme Drive winners.

• The 2021 fair marked the return of Taste From Indiana Farms, sponsored by the INFB Women’s Leadership Committee. The event was moved to the Ag/Hort Building and increased in length from three days to five, including two weekend days. Volunteers handed out popcorn, string cheese and other treats to 10,435 visitors. Previous years have averaged around 5,000 visitors.

• Announced during the fair was the new Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, a 197,000-square-foot, multi-use facility that will replace the Swine Barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center. Construction began in 2021 and will be completed in time for the 2023 fair.

Media outreach/coverage

• INFB secured 521 news stories in 2021. The most popular topics included the market basket surveys, broadband and the broadband speed test, the black vulture depredation permit program, INFB Health Plans, the legislative session and state convention.

• INFB members representing 35 counties were featured in 142 articles.

Membership

For the sixth consecutive year, INFB ended its membership year with a gain in membership. At 2,840 memberships, this is the organization’s largest yearly gain since 2011.

The final number for the year is 266,463 members, compared to last year’s total of 263,623.  Although INFB came close to also having a gain in voting members, the organization fell short by 386, for a voting membership total of 68,590.

Publications

INFB produced five publications in 2021:

• The Hoosier Farmer, a monthly newspaper mailed to all voting members.

• My Indiana Home, a quarterly magazine mailed to all members.

• The FB Feed, a monthly electronic newsletter for voting members.

• The Dispatch, a legislative and regulatory update that comes out weekly while the General Assembly is in session and biweekly the rest of the year. It is sent electronically to all voting members with active email addresses.

• The Pulse, a monthly publication introduced in December 2020 and designed to keep Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance agents informed about INFB Health Plans.

Website, social media

Several of INFB’s social media channels saw significant growth in 2021. From January through December 2021, likes to INFB’s Facebook page increased by 11% and the number of Instagram followers increased by 15%. With a continued focus on video content, INFB’s YouTube channel audience grew by 52%.

INFB’s Online Member Profile platform rolled out in October 2021, allowing members to personalize their interactions with INFB, access information such as membership number and membership status, and indicate what INFB programs they are interested in. It also allows them to manage their INFB publications, including opting to receive My Indiana Home and The Hoosier Farmer either via U.S. mail or digitally.

To access the Online Member Profile, log in to your account at www.infb.org and select “My Account.”

Young Farmers & Ag Professionals

• The 2021 YF&AP Conference was held virtually and had 199 attendees and 35 first-time attendees.

• The YF&AP Discussion Meet was held virtually for the early rounds, but the final round was held during INFB’s annual convention. It was won by Justin Johnson of Whitley County. Winning the two other major YF&AP awards in 2021 were Ryan and Marie Hilton, Jasper County, Excellence in Agriculture Award; and Jake and Jill Smoker, LaPorte County, Achievement Award. The Smokers went on to win the national Achievement Award at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2022 convention.