Champions of Excellence Awards recognize county Farm Bureaus for their outstanding efforts to implement member-developed policy, advocate organizational positions and educate and promote Michigan agriculture.
A who’s-who roster of Michigan’s county Farm Bureaus have earned 2025 Champions of Excellence Awards. Designed to acknowledge county Farm Bureaus’ efforts in advocating for agriculture and engaging members, MFB’s annual Champions of Excellence recognition is awarded annually in two categories, Involvement and Grassroots.
Involvement
Involvement-category recognition is determined from member-involvement data tracked in MFB’s membership database. This year’s Involvement winners are:
- District 1 — St. Joseph
- District 2 — Branch
- District 3 — Macomb
- District 4 — Kent
- District 5 — Shiawassee
- District 6 — Huron
- District 7 — Oceana
- District 8 — Saginaw
- District 9 — Benzie-Manistee
- District 10 — Arenac
- District 11 — Emmet
- District 12 — Iron Range
Grassroots
Grassroots activities are evaluated based on the innovation and effectiveness of programs executed over the preceding program year. Applications from county Farm Bureaus were weighed against one another, with these district winners earning Grassroots-category awards for outstanding member-involvement activities:
- District 1 — Berrien
- District 2 — Hillsdale
- District 3 — Washtenaw
- District 4 — Kent
- District 5 — Shiawassee
- District 6 — St. Clair
- District 7 — Mecosta
- District 8 — Isabella
- District 11 — Charlevoix
- District 12 — Hiawathaland
Keep reading to learn more about the first of our district-level winners; look for more in the weeks to come.
Berrien: ‘Many Hats of a Farmer’
Berrien County Farm Bureau’s “Many Hats of a Farmer” video illustrated how modern farmers must embody several diverse occupations within their primary role.
The goal was to raise awareness of Michigan’s agricultural diversity and the complexity of farming nationwide, by showing how farmers every day “wear the hats” of landlords, environmentalists, teachers, community leaders, engineers and of course businessmen and -women.
Berrien’s 11-member Promotion & Education committee met to create the project brief, including content, direction and duration. The board of directors and county administrative manager suggested local farmers participate, including the P&E chair and a committee member.
The target audience was members of the general public: purposefully outside the farm community — to raise agricultural awareness and connect it to the wider community.
P&E Chair Bae Schilling and videographer Tara Malevitis (also a member), filmed each farmer on their own turf, then edited and compiled the video. Just in time for Ag Week 2025, the finished product was shared on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram — and directly to the 3,000 recipients of the county's e-newsletter, complete with a supporting article.
Sharing the video electronically meant continuous accessibility — far preferable to single touchpoint. It can also be updated and refreshed with pertinent new messages suiting Farm Bureau’s evolving goals.
Key to the strategy was sharing with uninvolved members and those unaffiliated with the organization, supporting Farm Bureau’s mission to promote agriculture and inform the general public about the importance of our members’ work.
Mecosta’s first Project RED
Mecosta County Farm Bureau hosted its first Project RED (Rural Education Day), looking to offer a free agricultural experience to fourth-graders from schools across the county. While Projects RED are not unique in Michigan, Mecosta’s first attempt yielded improved relationships with schools and local businesses in addition to informing young people and adults about where their food comes from.
The Promotion & Education team began with gathering school-district contacts and Project RED schedules that’ve worked well in other counties. Four core members met with the county administrative manager and MFB field staff to establish how many sessions to offer and a short list of potential breakout topics.
Several MSU Extension specialists were contacted to help run the sessions, alongside Farm Bureau members and local ag equipment dealers. Member volunteers delivered sponsorship requests in-person to area businesses to help cover the cost of bussing students from participating schools.
Member volunteers also reached out via email and social media to see if anyone wanted to contribute financially or help with the event.
All four RED planners contacted potential speakers, assisted with the schedule and set up, while the administrative manager reached out to a local career center to involve their ag students.
Altogether five county Farm Bureau members helped with presentations, including one who’d not previous been involved in local programming. Another five assisted as volunteers the day of the event, assisted by another four young people from the local FFA chapter — potential future members!
More than 180 students and 20 staff took part in half a dozen lessons on ag-related subjects. Each group received Farm Crates and Ag Mags to take back to their classrooms, allowing Mecosta’s P&E team to make a personal connection with multiple schools across the county, building new relationships upon which to base a bright new future of farm-friendly outreach.
Look for another batch of Champions of Excellence district winners in the next Farm Gate, Sept. 16.
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