(FRENCH LICK, Ind.) – Dec. 12, 2025 – During the kick-off lunch at the 2025 Indiana Ag Gathering held at the French Lick Springs Resort, Indiana Farm Bureau recognized the achievements of county Farm Bureaus in 2025.

This year, four counties earned a County Activities of Excellence (CAE) award, which is designed to celebrate innovative, action-oriented programs developed by county Farm Bureaus. The CAE awards may be granted in one of four categories focused on the priority issues of the organization’s strategic plan: growing engagement, innovating and growing, advocating, and adding value by sharing knowledge. The top county in each category received a cash award of $2,000 to be applied toward improving a program in that county, and they were eligible to send two members each to the Indiana Ag Gathering event with expenses paid.

“Indiana Farm Bureau wouldn’t be successful without the dedicated service from members in all 92 counties,” said Randy Kron, INFB president. “I’m impressed every year by the new ideas our county leaders come up with to engage members in their communities.”

The winners are below:

Warrick County Farm Bureau – Advocating
For the past couple of years, the Warrick County assessor began reclassifying several acres of farmland in the county as “excess residential,” which in turn began raising assessed values and tax liabilities of landowners, in some cases up to 40 times what they were. The Warrick County Farm Bureau board stepped in to assist landowners in filing property tax appeals with the help of the state Farm Bureau staff. Landowners in their county are now more aware of their property cards and better understand the appeals process. The effort has reinforced Farm Bureau’s role in the county as a trusted advocate by increasing member engagement and providing a framework for other counties facing similar challenges.

Tippecanoe County Farm Bureau – Innovating and Growing
One of the key challenges identified by the Tippecanoe County Farm Bureau board during a strategic planning discussion was identifying and engaging members who actively farm or represent agriculture in some capacity to serve at the county level. To address the gap in engagement, they launched a social media campaign titled “Meet the Board Member Monday.” Each month, they spotlighted one board member, sharing their story, background and personal connection to agriculture via social media. This not only humanized their leadership team but also strengthened community awareness of who they are and what they represent. By consistently sharing content, they grew their county’s Facebook page to nearly 500 followers, with strong engagement on each post.

Franklin County Farm Bureau – Adding Value by Sharing Knowledge
Franklin County Farm Bureau facilitated an ag and safety day for third and fourth grade students in their county. What started as a small event for a handful of students 25 years ago, has now grown to an impactful countywide educational opportunity to interact with local schools. This past year, they had 100 volunteers working at the event with 22 different educational stations set up to educate 375 students from four county schools. The ag and safety day has not only increased the awareness of the county Farm Bureau to the community, but it has also cultivated a more fruitful partnership with their local schools to encourage ag education.

Lake County Farm Bureau – Growing Engagement
Lake County is uniquely positioned in the state with a large portion of their area dedicated to urban residential development and industry, while a shrinking portion remains production farmland. In order to keep agriculture top of mind in their community, the Lake County Farm Bureau board decided to try a new approach to engaging members at their county fair. They relocated their booth to a higher traffic area and had custom signs created with ag facts that stood at key points throughout a hay maze. As fairgoers walked through, they were given a brief quiz and a voucher for free ice cream for the local dairy club. Participants were asked to supply their names, contact information, and the extent and aim of their interest in agriculture. Out of the 200 participants who answered the quiz, 36 of those expressed interest in helping the county Farm Bureau with the buildout of their future community garden.

These awards and honors are based on the Indiana Farm Bureau membership year, which runs from October through September each year.

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About Indiana Farm Bureau: For more than 100 years, Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) has protected and enhanced the future of agriculture and our communities. As the state’s largest general farm organization, INFB works diligently to cultivate a thriving agricultural ecosystem to strengthen the viability of Indiana agriculture.  Learn more at INFB.org.