Informal meetings build upon a great year

Informal meetings build upon a great year

Last month I had the privilege of joining my fellow Floridians at the 2013 American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Our state Farm Bureau has once again demonstrated that it is one of the best in the nation.

The sheer force of energy and enthusiasm among our members makes our delegation stand out in a national gathering of any kind. Their outstanding volunteer service has helped our organization complete another stellar year of accomplishments.

Florida Farm Bureau enjoyed the sparkle of acclaim in Nashville. In addition to the other fine awards we previously earned from the American Farm Bureau for 2012, our state won the Pinnacle Award. It verifies our success at a level that distinguishes us from all other state Farm Bureaus in our membership group. The award also confirms the multiple, superb accomplishments of our state organization in the past year.

Hundreds of volunteers contributed to this recognition. They devoted their time, skill and labor to a full range of activities that supported Farm Bureau and production agriculture.

The capabilities of our membership were also clearly on display among our participants in the Young Farmer and Rancher competitions at the national annual meeting. Josh and Amy Farley, our Achievement in Agriculture award recipients, Emily Eubanks, Florida’s Excellence in Agriculture award winner, and Kelvin Moreno, state Discussion Meet champion, were  outstanding candidates in their respective events.

Meanwhile, our state staff members and volunteers have been busy with a variety of projects that build upon the momentum of the past year. Guided by Florida Farm Bureau’s Strategic Plan, we will pursue comparable levels of success in the coming months. We have already begun work on both traditional programs and new initiatives for 2013. 

As part of this process, I will be meeting with Farm Bureau members across the state in a series of “tailgate meetings.” I want to hear what you are thinking and what you have to say. I will be meeting with you in your barns, under oak trees at your farms and in other places in your home communities.

My goal is to meet with you informally and chat. Our tailgate meetings will give us an opportunity to talk about the future of our organization and continue our longstanding tradition of grassroots involvement in Farm Bureau.

They will also give me an opportunity to express once again how honored I am to serve as your president. I look forward to visiting with you soon.