County Farm Bureaus honored for growth, outreach

California county Farm Bureaus were honored for excelling in membership recruitment, influencing policy, community education and innovation.

The awards for the County of the Year were presented at the 106th California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Monterey last week.

For county Farm Bureaus with up to 300 agricultural members, Lake County Farm Bureau earned the County of the Year Award for its strong efforts to increase and engage membership. In February, the board set a goal to recruit 60 new members; in October, the organization reached it.

The Farm Bureau used several means to achieve its goal. It added new discounts for propane and purchases at a local agriculture-supply store, launched a weekly e-newsletter, hosted member workshops and a supervisor candidate forum, gave presentations about Farm Bureau to social service clubs and hosted community events.

It also reached out to youths by getting involved in agricultural education and hosting events such as the “Punkin’ Chunkin” in which high school students build contraptions to hurl pumpkins hundreds of feet into the air.

Monterey County Farm Bureau received the County of the Year Award for Farm Bureaus with 300 to 700 members for membership recruitment and retention and for being politically active in its region.

The Farm Bureau was recognized for fostering relationships with elected officials at all levels of government and working with regulatory agencies. Board members are engaged on several issues, including water, labor, land use and food safety.

The organization is involved in consumer education and provides volunteer and financial support for three annual Farm Day events that educate 6,000 third graders about food production and processing. It also partners with the community on issues such as housing, homelessness and illegal dumping.

Monterey County Farm Bureau is often a source used by the local media and has an active social media presence. The e-newsletters target three audiences: agricultural members, Young Farmers & Ranchers, community leaders and business partners.

The County of the Year Award for Farm Bureaus with 700 or more members went to Butte County, which has comprehensive programs in membership, policy implementation, leadership, agriculture education, public relations and Young Farmers & Ranchers.

One component of its marketing is “Membership March,” a membership drive that offers tangible incentives.

Butte County Farm Bureau was honored for excelling in communication, publishing a bimonthly newspaper and an electronic newsletter sent monthly to more than 3,100 people, and emailing updates as news breaks. It also has active relationships with radio, TV and newspaper journalists and is recognized as the go-to source for local farm stories.

Active in the community, Butte County Farm Bureau holds its annual Junior Farm Bureau program for children ages 7 to 15 at their Summer Barbecue Fundraiser and is involved in a Farm City Celebration and agricultural education.

The county’s Young Farmers & Ranchers members participated in the statewide YF&R Summer Leaders Meeting to further develop their skills.

Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau received the Innovator Award, voted on by attendees at the annual meeting. Established in 2014, the award recognizes the most creative, forward-thinking program undertaken by a county Farm Bureau.

Yuba-Sutter was recognized for hosting a farm tour event that highlighted the critical role of agriculture in the local economy while also highlighting important issues of water, labor, trade and food safety. The Farm Bureau event was attended by lawmakers, county officials and University of California researchers, and fostered collaboration among policymakers and industry leaders to address challenges.

Other finalists for this award were Kern County Farm Bureau and Sacramento County Farm Bureau.