Ask any parent of a teenager: It can be scary handing over the keys.
But when it came time for the Livingston County Farm Bureau to find a new coordinator for the biggest outreach event on its calendar, nobody inspired more confidence than 30-year veteran Barb Parker, who pulled together the county’s 2025 Ag Awareness Day as if she’d helmed it from the get-go.
“Barb volunteered to step into the biggest role we have,” began her nominator and Promotion & Education co-chair, Martha Munsell. “She represents the perfect example of an outstanding volunteer in her willingness to step into a very demanding role.”
Her methodical determination plotted out every inch of the process, from downloading expertise from the event’s previous organizers and enlisting a sure-footed planning group of her own, to detailing a timeline, securing venues and supplies, and coordinating with teachers to ensure their parameters would be met.
By the numbers it was an impressive achievement: 69 adult volunteers, almost 700 attending students from 26 classrooms and two home-school groups, 84 parent chaperones and 34 student volunteers from a local FFA Chapter.
Inclement Michigan weather the day before the event required reorganizing some content at the last minute, but even that didn’t throw Parker’s plan off balance.
“The feedback we heard from attendees was overwhelmingly positive,” Munsell said. “Barb received the highest compliments on the efficiency of the day and the quality of presenters entrusted with sharing the county Farm Bureau’s mission with local students.”
To reinforce the presentations and provide resources for teachers, Barb created a “Tour of the Mitten” coloring page for use in classrooms after the proper event wrapped up, helping further cement the hands-on learning students had just experienced.
“That’s her forward thinking,” Munsell said, “putting herself in teachers’ roles and meeting their needs — providing resources and activities so the full day was occupied and focused on agriculture.
Beyond Ag Awareness Day, Parker’s prowess this year also enriched Livingston’s Fall Fest event, a collaboration with the local historical society. She organized a petting farm, shared teaching materials and Michigan Ag Facts, and provided handouts promoting Farm Bureau and local agriculture.
And at the county Farm Bureau’s Ag Education and Promotion exhibit at the Fowlerville Fair, Parker took on a vital support role behind the scenes, maintaining the exhibit area and always making herself available to guide attendees and answer questions.
“Barb has a great understanding of how agriculture works,” Munsell said. “She can speak with anyone about farming, and has a real talent for teaching the importance of knowing where food comes from, how it’s produced, packaged and distributed.”
It’s the quality and consistency of that direct, efficient communication style that makes Parker as effective a Farm Bureau volunteer as any statewide: Everyone in her orbit clearly understands her expectations, know when and where they need to be, and are ready with clear, concise answers to any questions that arise.
Heard enough? One last thing to flip the unconvinced: Local.
Parker puts a high priority on showcasing specifically those commodities produced on Livingston County farms — a very savvy tactic in an environment on the urbanizing fringes of Detroit’s hinterlands.
Local growers are always center-stage, sharing their vocation with the crucial audiences in the grey area between urban and rural.
“Barb has strong ties to the historical influence of agriculture in our area,” Munsell finished. “As our county becomes more urban, it’s critical for the public to recognize those changes and how they affect our community.”
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