For more than a century, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has served farmers and ranchers across the country as the united Voice of Agriculture. The organization’s overall success rests largely on the innovative, action-oriented programs developed by county Farm Bureaus.
AFBF’s County Activities of Excellence (CAE) Awards are designed to celebrate unique volunteer-driven programming at the local level. They aim to recognize and share successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities to help generate even more grassroots activity. The CAE program categorizes activities into six categories:
- Education & Ag Promotion
- Member Services
- Public Relations & Information
- Leadership Development
- Policy Implementation
- Safety
CAE applications are now available for counties to start submitting! Up to 24 innovative county Farm Bureau activities from across the nation will be selected for display at the 2024 AFBF Annual Convention and Trade Show in January in San Antonio, Texas.
Multiple county Farm Bureaus that work together to plan and carry out an activity may submit CAE applications jointly. The deadline for counties to have their applications submitted online is 5 p.m. Aug. 30, 2024.
The application link can be found at 2025 County Activities of Excellence.
Each county Farm Bureau wishing to apply must create a unique login. Winners will be announced the first week of October. Individual county and multi-county CAE winning entries will receive four complimentary registrations and a $4,500 cash award to be used toward display costs and travel to the 2024 AFBF Annual Convention and Trade Show. (This is increased from $2,250 just last year!)
Rules, regulations and more details can be found at www.fb.org/CAE.
If you’re looking for inspiration, past CAE-winning applications are archived at https://university.fb.org/Pages/catalog/CertificationRegister.aspx?CertificationID=44&ptype=3
Here are some frequently asked questions:
- What if my county’s program doesn’t fit into any of the category options? Applications are sorted into six different categories (listed above) for archival purposes only; they do not impact scoring. Therefore, pick the category you feel best fits your application.
- Where can I access the application? The application is available here, and through the CAE page on AFBF’s website.
- Where can I find past winning CAE applications? Access CAE archives on Farm Bureau University in the AFBF Awards folder, or click here.
- Who is eligible to apply? Any county or group of counties who have completed an activity between Sept. 1, 2023 and Aug. 29, 2024; and have not won CAE or displayed at the AFBF Trade Show for the last two consecutive years are eligible to apply.
- Do counties have to attend AFBF Convention if they win? No. Winning counties may present at the AFBF Trade Show but aren't required to accept. However, to receive the award money and complimentary convention registrations, counties must be present and host a booth at the trade show.
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