2025 another win for Farm Bureau membership recruitment, retention

The 2025 membership year numbers have been crunched, reflecting another exceptional year of member recruitment and retention, both statewide and at the county Farm Bureau level.

Date Posted: September 9, 2025

Jeremy C. Nagel, Michigan Farm Bureau

For the sixth year running, Michigan Farm Bureau met and surpassed its membership target, meaning overall statewide membership growth. It’s been almost 20 years since MFB last made such a run.

“Our counties and volunteers should be proud of their accomplishments this past year,” said Laura Lunceford, manager of MFB’s Membership Development Department. “They’ve worked really hard to continue growing and strengthening our membership. Regular member growth is the direct result of recruitment and retention efforts, including involvement.

“The efforts of volunteer leaders to maintain a strong membership base is evident in their success. They’re providing value for members and demonstrating the value of Farm Bureau to agriculture.”

Here are some more numbers for the 2025 membership year (Aug. 30, 2024 to Aug. 28, 2025), followed by more detail below:

47 of 65 county Farm Bureaus reached Target
2,412 new regular members statewide
202 volunteers wrote 363 new regular members
364 new members were involved in Farm Bureau programs and activities
150 agents and volunteers qualified for Key Society (see below)
19 volunteers qualified for Harvest League (see below)
94.93% regular-member retention rate statewide

Top Volunteer Writers

Volunteers who write the most new regular members in their district (5 minimum) during the membership year receive their choice of $200 worth of Grainger vouchers, MFB Experience Michigan resort gift cards, KEY Apparel, OR theme park ticket vouchers.

The top volunteer writer statewide receives two paid spots on the annual membership trip.

By writing 14 new regular members in Calhoun County, this year’s Top Volunteer Writer is Patrick Butler. Here are the top writers in the remaining districts, in descending order:

Candi Fentress, Wayne County — 12
Ellen Vanderwal, Missaukee County — 8
Tucker Mays, Ingham County — 6
Klint Blaauw, Allegan County — 5
Andrew Fahrner, Huron County — 5
Cale Veurink, Emmet County — 5
Lily Wendland, Antrim County — 5

Top Defender & Super Defender

The county Farm Bureau in each district retaining the highest percentage of regular members throughout the membership year earns the Top Defender Award and a $100 cash prize.

The county retaining the highest percentage of regular members statewide earns the Super Defender Award and $500. This year’s Super Defender is the Iosco County Farm Bureau up in District 10, retaining an impressive 97.03% of its regular members.

Here are the rest of this year’s Top Defender winners, by district:

Dist. 1 — Cass: 96.69%
Dist. 2 — Branch: 96.45%
Dist. 3 — Livingston: 95.65%
Dist. 4 — Ottawa: 94.96%
Dist. 5 — Clinton: 94.62%
Dist. 6 — Huron: 94.44%
Dist. 7 — Mecosta: 94.19%
Dist. 8 — Midland: 96.01%
Dist. 9 — Wexford: 94.09%
Dist. 11 — Charlevoix: 95.98%
Dist. 12 — Iron Range: 94.21%

Prospector Award

Prospector Award recognition goes to county Farm Bureaus that sign the highest percentage of new members from their prospect list, earning a $500 award toward future membership work.

The Wayne County Farm Bureau ran away with this year’s Prospector Award, scoring a perfect 100% by writing every single new regular member from its 2025 prospect list!

Harvest League

Volunteers earn their way into the Harvest League by writing five or more memberships during the membership year and/or renewing members written the previous year before their anniversary date.

Here’s the 2025 roster of Harvest Leaguers, with their renewals, new members, and totals (in that order):

Patrick Butler, Calhoun — 0, 14, 14
Candi Fentress, Wayne — 1, 12, 13
Ellen Vanderwal, Missaukee — 2, 8, 10
Charles Sigler, Hillsdale — 2, 7, 9
Betty Krosnicki, St. Clair — 4, 3, 7
Abe Shoup, Mason — 0, 7, 7
Christine Idalski, Presque Isle — 4, 3, 7
Andrew Fahrner, Huron — 1, 5, 6
Tucker Mays, Ingham — 0, 6, 6
Martha Munsell, Livingston — 2, 4, 6
Klint Blaauw, Allegan — 1, 5, 6
Lily Wendland, Antrim — 0, 5, 5
Neil French, Bay — 2, 3, 5
Cale Veurink, Emmet — 0, 5, 5
Julia Schlegel, Lenawee — 0, 5, 5
Delaney Hamburg, Oakland — 2, 3, 5
Ken Daniels, Arenac — 1, 4, 5
Andrea Boughton, Calhoun — 1, 4, 5
Gary Kirsh, Macomb — 0, 5, 5

Key Society

Agents and volunteers who wrote five or more new regular members during the membership year earn Key Society recognition at both county and state Farm Bureau annual meetings.

This year’s top membership writers are all Farm Bureau Insurance agents (or agencies):