Teena Munsell named Michigan Farm Bureau Volunteer of the Month

Livingston County farmer Teena Munsell has been named Michigan Farm Bureau's (MFB) Volunteer of the Month for December 2011 for her exceptional contributions this year to several area 4-H clubs. Munsell has organized a number of exhibits to help educate consumers about the many aspects of agriculture in the county.

Working with more than five different 4-H clubs, Munsell created new displays for the Beginning of Life exhibit at the Fowlerville Fair and Michigan Soybean Festival. Under Munsell's guidance, each of the clubs developed signage, brochures and hands-on activities for their respective 4-H project topics. Currently, the display showcases beef and dairy cattle, corn, hay, poultry, sheep, soybeans, swine and wheat. In addition, Munsell sought donations from local businesses and organizations of materials and give-away items to offset the cost of these displays.

"Teena recognizes the importance of educating the general public about what farmers do to produce safe, abundant food and treat their animals with respect," wrote Munsell's nominator for Volunteer of the Month honors. "She also recognizes the importance of teaching young farmers how to tell their story. She wants to prepare these future agriculturalists to be able to tell their story effectively and educationally."

Munsell's spirit and commitment is also evident in how unhesitatingly she helped out when the county Farm Bureau found itself in an unexpected bind. When the county office moved into a new, smaller facility and found it no longer had room to accommodate the delivery of its members' annual frozen food order, Munsell came to the rescue by opening up her own farm market as a distribution hub. She not only welcomed the semi trailer and provided for its easy unloading with an experienced forklift driver, but provided shelter, coffee and hot chocolate for everyone involved.

"It's the kind of thing she does to go the extra mile," her nominator wrote. "We just had our third distribution there last week, and after doing it for the previous 10 years without her help, what used to take several hours now takes only about 30 minutes. She's made it so much easier for us, and a lot more fun!"

Munsell and her husband Gordon farm more than 300 acres near Fowlerville. The couple grows pumpkins, gourds, hay, wheat and corn. They also raise dairy and beef cattle, draft horses and laying hens. Additionally, they have a small greenhouse facility where they grow bedding plants for sale at their retail market on the farm. Munsell and her husband have five children and many grandchildren.