County Farm Bureau presidents primed for local leadership
Contact: Tom Nugent, (800) 292-2680, ext. 6587
LANSING, Feb. 5, 2010 - More than 50 county Farm Bureau presidents traveled to Lansing Jan. 27-28 to take part in Michigan Farm Bureau's (MFB) 2010 Council of Presidents' Conference. The annual event brings together local Farm Bureau leaders from across the state for informative workshops, guest speakers and opportunities to learn from and exchange ideas with their peers and MFB staff-all to help them make the most of their role at the helm of their local farming organization. (TO LOCALIZE, PLEASE SEE THE PDF LIST OF LOCAL PARTICIPANTS IN ATTENDANCE at http://www.michfb.com/files/2010/02-05-10_Council_of_Presidents.pdf.)
This year's conference began with special programming for attendees new to the role of county Farm Bureau president. That evening all participating presidents convened for a presentation regarding changes ongoing within Michigan State University's (MSU) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources from Dean Jeffrey Armstrong, MSU Extension Director Tom Coon and Agricultural Experiment Station Director John Baker.
Throughout the following day, participants took in a series of informative sessions covering a number of timely subjects, including technological tools beneficial to county Farm Bureau leaders, MFB's Farmers CARE initiative, political candidate evaluation, and an in-depth discussion exploring potential means of streamlining Michigan's state government.
Participating county presidents took particular interest in their organization's role in the upcoming state election. With more than 70 percent of the state Legislature turning over this year, local Farm Bureau leaders anticipate a busy candidate evaluation season as they sift through hundreds of prospective lawmakers in search of those recommendable for the "Friend of Agriculture" endorsement from MFB's political action committee, AgriPac.
Other key speakers at this year's conference were Don Koivisto, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, and Rebecca Humphries, director of the newly formed Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
MFB is the state's largest general farm organization, representing the interests of more than 47,000 farm families, and providing service and support for 67 county Farm Bureaus.
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Editor's Note: Photographs of conference attendees are available for download at http://www.michfb.com/newsroom/photos/44. For assistance arranging an interview with your local Farm Bureau president, contact MFB County Communications Department Manager Jeremy C. Nagel at (800) 292-2680, ext. 6584.
