Three Reasons to Get Involved in Farm Bureau

As 2014 has come and gone, along with many resolutions for the new year, we look back at 2014 as another memory to our growing tenure with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. We would like to take the time to reflect upon our three year experience we had serving on the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer and Agriculturist Committee as well as the past year spent serving as the chair of the committee and offer a few reasons why you should get involved in the opportunities available through Farm Bureau. In doing so, we hope to inspire and encourage other young farmers and agriculturists to become involved on the local, state and/or national level.

So here are THREE reasons why you should get involved with Farm Bureau… 

3. Opportunity to travel. Through the Young Farmer and Agriculturist Program and the Farm Bureau leadership Institute, we have had the opportunity to get out of the state of Wisconsin and travel to Minnesota, Indiana, Washington, D.C., Arizona, Michigan and Virginia Beach. We have had the chance to learn about agriculture in other parts of the U.S., meet other passionate Farm Bureau members and share our story of Wisconsin’s agricultural industry.

2. Leadership training and growth. No matter if you are serving on the local or state level, as the leader of your farm, in your place of employment, if you lead from the middle of the pack or the front; having the skills necessary to be an advocate for agriculture is important and a lifelong process. We have learned a great deal about ourselves, other organizations and the Farm Bureau organization through our involvement with the YFA committee and being part of the Farm Bureau Institute.

1. Becoming part of something greater. While being a part of the team, it has allowed us to develop new friendships with individuals who we may not have otherwise met and they have truly become part of our Farm Bureau family who we rely on for advice and support in our business and in our personal lives.

As we close the chapter on our involvement at the state level, a new one has been opened as we look to join the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers National Committee for the next two years beginning in March. We will take our experiences and lessons learned from being part of the state committee and proudly represent Wisconsin. Stay tuned as we continue to share our experiences through our Young Farmers with Old Values blog.