Delegates: Register by Oct. 20 for 2023 State Annual

Hundreds of county Farm Bureau delegates chart your organization’s direction on the delegate floor in Grand Rapids, Nov. 28-29 this year.

Date Posted: October 16, 2023

Jeremy C. Nagel, Michigan Farm Bureau

First things first: This Friday, Oct. 20, is the deadline to register for Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2023 State Annual Meeting. Regular members interested in representing their county Farm Bureau throughout this year’s State Annual should immediately reach out to their county president, administrative manager or MFB Regional Manager!

Now, more about that event…

For the fourth year running MFB’s State Annual Meeting will continue the hybrid format launched in 2020 as a result of the Covid pandemic. It didn’t make everyone happy but there were efficiency gains and fiscal savings that couldn’t be denied.

Online Kickoff

Your state Farm Bureau’s 2023 Annual Meeting all starts 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1 with a virtual (online) kickoff event. County Farm Bureau delegates will receive an invitation link via email.

The virtual kickoff launches the overall annual meeting process with opening remarks and a call to order from MFB President Carl Bednarski, followed by reports from the credentials and rules committees; approval of the 2022 Annual Meeting Minutes; and reports from MFB CEO Scott Piggott, Farm Bureau Insurance CEO Don Simon, and Treasurer Tom Nugent.

District Meetings

Delegates will then convene at district-specific meetings, Nov. 2-17:

District 1 — 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13; Delta Hotel, 2747 S. 11th St., Kalamazoo
District 2 — 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7; Olivia's Chophouse 205 E. Chicago St., Jonesville
District 3 — 6 p.m. Nov. 9; Weber's Inn, 3050 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor
District 4 — 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7; Stonewater Country Club, 7177 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Suite A, Caledonia
District 5 — 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6; Comstock Inn, 300 E. Main St., Owosso
District 6 — 6 p.m. Nov. 16; Beagio's Pizza, 5795 Sanilac Road, Kingston
District 7 — 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2; Fremont Area District Library, 104 E. Main St., Fremont
District 8 — 6 p.m. Nov. 6; Back Orchard Barn, 11001 Wilkinson Road, Freeland
District 9 — 6 p.m. Nov. 9; Evergreen Resort, 7880 Mackinaw Trail, Cadillac
District 10 — 9:30 a.m. Nov. 10; Buck's County Cookin, 105 Plaza Dr., West Branch
District 11 — 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6; Boathouse on Lake Charlevoix, 204 Water St., East Jordan
District 12 — 10 a.m. Nov. 2; Holiday Inn, 1951 US-41, Marquette

Members representing each district on the state-level Policy Development Committee will provide attendees with an overview of the issues county Farm Bureau representatives will consider on the delegate floor in Grand Rapids. Click here for an early preview.

District meetings also cover several important housekeeping items, including delegate chair responsibilities and training in CloudVote, the system used by delegates taking part both in-person and remotely.

Grand Rapids

Everything culminates Nov. 28-29 in Grand Rapids, where delegates will engage in their final deliberations on policy recommendations that began taking shape months ago at your own county Farm Bureau.

That’s not all that happens in Grand Rapids, of course; check out the full agenda for more details and keep reading Farm Gate for updates and more detailed previews.