Champions of Excellence Awards recognizes county Farm Bureaus for outstanding efforts in implementing member-developed policy; advocating organizational positions; and promoting Michigan agriculture. A who’s-who roster of Michigan’s county Farm Bureaus have earned 2024 Champions of Excellence Awards in two categories, Involvement and Grassroots.
Involvement
Involvement-category recognition is determined from member-involvement data logged and tracked in MFB’s membership database. This year’s Involvement winners are:
- District 1 — Kalamazoo County
- District 2 — Lenawee County
- District 3 — Wayne County
- District 4 — Kent County
- District 5 — Genesee County
- District 6 — Lapeer County
- District 7 — Oceana County
- District 8 — Gratiot County
- District 9 — Mason County
- District 10 — Huron Shores
- District 11 — Antrim County
- District 12 — Menominee County
Grassroots
Grassroots activities are evaluated based on the innovation and effectiveness of programs executed over the preceding program year. Applications from county Farm Bureaus were weighed against one another, with these district winners earning Grassroots-category awards for outstanding member-involvement activities:
- District 1 — Berrien County
- District 2 — Hillsdale County
- District 3 — Livingston County
- District 4 — Kent County
- District 5 — Genesee County
- District 6 — Tuscola County
- District 7 — Oceana County
- District 8 — Saginaw County
- District 9 — no entries
- District 10 — Clare County
- District 11 — Emmet County
- District 12 — Hiawathaland
Keep reading to learn more about the first of our district-level winners; look for more in the weeks to come.
Berrien
Every new generation of fairgoers is further removed from agriculture than the last, so Berrien County Farm Bureau’s mission to share factual information about where food comes from brings out volunteers’ creativity in engaging the public with knowledge about the industry and systems that keep people fed.
Berrien's Promotion & Education team knew it was time to change things up at the fair with an engaging new exhibit. When one committee member suggested a straw maze, another proposed learning stations throughout, tucked inside the twists and turns, to show that even tasty fair food comes from farms, and suddenly a new theme was born: “No Farmer, No Fair Food!”
The Berrien team divided and conquered. One group redesigned some straw-bale maze plans to fit into the fairgrounds’ ag-expo building. Another pursued the fair-food theme, working with MFB designers to develop banners, handouts and passports highlighting information about the farm commodities that go into their beloved corn dogs, elephant ears, caramel apples and other midway cuisine.
Committee members reached out to members for help and, true to form, they stepped up to the challenge, helping construct props, build a corn table for youngsters, and sourcing straw bales for the maze itself.
Many of the more than 20 volunteers who helped staff the maze throughout fair week were also previously uninvolved Farm Bureau members.
The results were encouraging to say the least: 2,840 kids navigated through the No Farmer, No Fair Food maze and turned in a punch card — many of them multiple times — and most of those kids were escorted by a grown-up.
Even the prizes kids won for completing the maze and filling their punch cards offered a reminder of the day’s lessons: “No Farmer, No Fair Food!”
Oceana
Oceana County Farm Bureau put the value of membership center stage with a discounted tire-recycling event for members. Non-members could take part for a higher fee — unless they signed up that same day.
Oceana board members lined up trailers at the drop-off site then helped load them up with spent tires of all sizes — with some help from a crew of local FFA students. One member coordinated RSVPs and kept a detailed records of who was bringing in what to help ensure there was room for everything.
At the end of the day, the event brought a lot of previously uninvolved members out of the woodwork: fully 30 of them out of the 35 total who participated!
The event filled a need felt throughout the county, and served to remind members and non-members alike that the Oceana County Farm Bureau is alive and well and actively looking for ways to help the local farming community. It also went a long way toward tidying up Oceana’s beautiful agricultural landscape, sending several trailers of old tires to a recycling facility instead of cluttering up local farms.
Tuscola
Tuscola County Farm Bureau hosted a Barn Bash event to help inform current and prospective members what the organization does — and to turn some of those prospective members into current ones!
Member-owned My Sisters Barn hosted the event and turned out to be a perfect fit. A food truck served up burgers, fries and hot dogs. Local up-and-coming country singer Waylon Hanel — also a member — provided the evening’s entertainment and was a huge draw.
Promotion through the county Facebook page, direct-mail postcards and fliers at local Farm Bureau Insurance agent offices attracted a healthy turnout. Total attendance numbered more than 100, including 38 uninvolved members, 26 prospects and three new members, written on site!
Farm Bureau promotional items helped members log into MFB’s Member Savings website, and state-level CORE programs were promoted in hopes of piquing members’ interest in taking part.
Board members showed up with a laundry list of Farm Bureau talking points to share, beginning with local, regional and state-level events, their purpose and the need for volunteers to help make them happen. They also drove home the importance of member involvement in the grassroots Policy Development process, and on the board itself.
Moving forward the board was eager to reach out to the prospects who showed interest in joining the organization, and look forward to broadening the county Farm Bureau’s already substantial membership base.
Look for another batch of Champions of Excellence district winners in the next Farm Gate, Sept. 3.
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