Delegate-floor proceedings at next month’s 2025 State Annual Meeting will be overseen by Michigan Farm Bureau’s state-level Policy Development committee, arguably the beating heart of the organization’s policy process. The body convened twice last month at MFB’s Lansing headquarters to streamline the policy slate delegates will consider Dec. 2-3 in Grand Rapids.
Half of its members are under 40, including three recent “graduates” of the Young Farmer program (ages 18-35). All three have met, stared down and worked through common obstacles that cause some of their demographic to pull back.
I wanted to learn more.
Those evening meetings
In the center of the Mitten, Gratiot County’s Frank Zwemmer has — for now, anyway — come to terms with what might be the most common reason member involvement declines: Family.
“I totally understand the hard part,” Zwemmer said. “I’ve got a young family I’m trying to spend more time with. That’s a big reason people drop off.”
His wife Marie also has a deep record of Farm Bureau involvement, but the demands of two young children are a priority no one debates.
“Everyone’s home situation is different. Our oldest now is five, so I can slip outta the house now and then, but I have stepped down from county board because those evening meetings are hard to get to.”
Frank and Marie’s little Zwemmers are still too young for school sports, but he knows that could change eventually.
For now there’s still room for Farm Bureau, “but you really have to want to do it. I’m still our Policy Development chair — I’ve always found that rewarding and still enjoy that.
“Besides, people keep asking me to do stuff,” he chuckled, smartly name-checking the single best way to secure anyone’s involvement in anything: By asking them directly.
Keeps me yearning
Up in Presque Isle County, Jeremy Karsten raises row crops near Posen. (We bond over our common name: I’ll say, “Hey Jeremy!” and he’ll reply, “Hey Jeremy!”)
“The state Young Farmer program is filled with a lot of talented, passionate and motivated people — I liked being part of that,” said Karsten, who passed the program’s age limit a couple years ago. “Once you fall off or age out, you’re in the general population of Farm Bureau members. Unless you’re in an active county, you can fall dormant.
“I like staying active,” he added. “And I like to stay motivated by learning from those knowledgeable people.
“It keeps me yearning to stay a part of Farm Bureau.”
Karsten’s singular drive is a telling testament in a low-membership county where filling committee rosters can be tough. Surely things are easier for a bigger county Farm Bureau, right?
Let’s see…
Say ‘yes’ to all
From Posen it’s a four-hour drive to bustling Grand Rapids, which, prosperous as it is, hasn’t yet paved over every acre of Kent County. With a deep associate-member base, several high-profile ag processors, and eye-popping farmland like the Fruit Ridge, you might think the Kent County Farm Bureau has it made.
Yes and no.
Look under the hood and you’ll see Kent has struggled with another classic Farm Bureau challenge: Making room for new blood in leadership.
“I worked too hard to walk away and not enjoy Farm Bureau!” said Kylee Zdunic-Rasch, the ambitious young leader who, as county president, has invested heavily in installing other ambitious young leaders. “When doors aren’t open to the next generation, it’s hard to find room. The changes in our county have created opportunity for younger members to step into new roles and remain involved.
“Showing the younger generation that their ideas are exciting is key to county involvement. We have to say ‘yes’ to all generations,” she continued. “I want to have a voice! I want our operation to have a voice.”
Opening Kent’s board to dynamic new leaders took time and tested both Zdunic-Rasch’s perseverance and her diplomacy.
“Look at county boards in general,” she said. “Some won’t move, which is why you don’t see new blood — or they’re not doing anything exciting — so when the Young Farmers term off, they don’t have a desire to be involved.”
Indeed, succession planning isn’t just about passing farms between generations: When leaders embrace the necessity of planning their own succession — replacing themselves with a solid successor — board turnover changes from threat to opportunity — from scary to refreshing. Investing in the value of up-n-comers is how that happens.
“Slowly things changed,” Zdunic-Rasch said. “And now I’m so proud of them and where they’re at!”
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Regardless of your age or level of involvement, we want to hear your thoughts: Drop us a quick email explaining where you are on the involvement spectrum — high, medium, low, not at all — and why. Your voice matters!
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