If you always dreamed of attending the national Farm Bureau meeting but couldn’t bring yourself to pony up the moolah necessary for a five-night hotel stay — and flying to and from the southern destination — well now’s your chance… Kinda.
Originally scheduled to take place in sunny San Diego next month, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2021 Annual Convention is going — you guessed it — virtual. That means no warm destination, but at least most member-friendly components of the event are free and taking place online.
The Jan. 10-13 event will bring together farmers, ranchers and industry experts to discuss the top issues facing agriculture, including the impact of COVID-19, sustainability and the future of the supply chain, and will feature keynote speakers who inspire and motivate grassroots action.
This free online event will bring home American Farm Bureau Convention favorites from the Ag Innovation Challenge and YF&R competitions to the Ag Foundation Book of the Year and the anticipated Farm Dog of the Year.
Click here to register before the Jan. 4 deadline. Registration provides access to live sessions as well as special on-demand programs focused on hot topics in agriculture.
Speakers headlining the event include celebrity working-man Mike Rowe, Navy Seal Commander Rorke Denver and Land O’ Lakes President and CEO Beth Ford.
Best known for his hit TV series Dirty Jobs and most recently his show Returning the Favor featuring people making a difference in their communities, Mike Rowe will join the AFB Virtual Convention as our special guest for a fireside chat in the closing general session. As the country’s leading advocate for skilled labor and the CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Rowe seeks to debunk myths and misperceptions about blue-collar jobs. His foundation has granted millions of dollars in scholarships to help close the skills gap.
Workshop topics range from the future of the livestock industry to financial planning for disasters and from standing up for agriculture with effective advocacy to sustainability in 2021 and what it will mean for farmers and ranchers.
The MFB Board of Directors serve as Michigan’s delegates in the daylong policy session. Only those board members and a handful of essential staff advisors will be able to take part in the virtual delegate floor.
View the full agenda here and register for free here.
AFBF staff contacts: Bailey Corwine, 202-406-3643, or Mike Tomko, 202-406-3642