Farm Bureau members from across the state will gather Feb. 28 to March 2 in Muskegon for MFB’s 2025 Growing Together Conference for an array of workshops, tours, speakers and experiences to equip them for another year of active programming.
Topics on tap draw from the depth and breadth of the Young Farmer and Promotion & Education programs. Attendees will take fresh new ideas and connections back to their homes, farms and county Farm Bureaus.
Friday kicks off with a luncheon for Young Farmer and P&E chairs to enhance networking, idea sharing and professional development. Tours and other hands-on experiences follow that afternoon, with participants seeing behind the scenes of nearby agribusinesses.
Tours will visit Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery, Dairy Discovery, Critter Barn, Country Dairy and other farm-leaning enterprises across the central-western Lower Peninsula. Experiences will include a safety demonstration and training with Muskegon Fire Department Rural Rescue and a take-home barn quilt project at the Coopersville Farm Museum.
Monitor the conference website for more details as they’re finalized.
That evening attendees will explore downtown Muskegon for a choose-your-own-adventure dinner alongside fellow farmers at various local eateries.
Saturday offers more than 30 opportunities to hear from speakers ranging from animal necropsy to finances to ag-accurate books; visit the conference website for the complete schedule.
Speakers on Saturday will include a lunchtime presentation from Trey Malone, Purdue University Boehlje Endowed Chair for Managerial Economics in Agribusiness, helping us reframe and better understand agricultural economics and markets.
After a packed day of learning and networking, Saturday night’s keynote speaker is Chris Koch. Born without limbs, Koch will inspire you to do the hard things by citing with his own lived experience as a farmer, marathoner and world traveler.
Koch asks simply: “If I can do what I’ve done so far in my life, what’s stopping others from doing the same?”
Saturday wraps up with a silent auction to benefit the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture and an evening for fun, games and a showdown of snacks! Expect some friendly competition with bingo, cards, board games and plenty of fun and laughter!
The conference adjourns Sunday after some optional deep-dive workshops with our keynote speakers, accounting and professional development opportunities including a Real Colors assessment.
Registration opens Jan. 6-17; contact your county Farm Bureau to reserve your spot and stay up to date at the Growing Together website.
Webberville native Cassie Bosworth is interning with Michigan Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Collegiate programs.