On Sept. 19 the 2024-25 ProFILE heard from past ProFILE graduate and current Dist. 45 State Representative Sarah Lightner. A member of the Jackson County Farm Bureau, Lightner represents Jackson, Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties in Michigan’s House of Representatives.
From an early age Lightner was involved in Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer program and was soon encouraged to run for a Jackson County commissioner seat. It was only after attaining that office she started her own ProFILE journey, giving her a unique perspective as a ProFILE member already holding an elected office.
Lightner’s stint as county commissioner proved to be a launching pad from which she rose to state-level involvement and her to run for the State House of Representatives in 2018. Sharing some of her accumulated wisdom with our current ProFILE class, including her advice for seeking political office, the value of AgriPac’s Friend of Agriculture endorsement, and how to get the most out of Farm Bureau’s leadership-development programming.
Later in the day the class heard from PAC Relations Specialist Melissa Tirrell about MFB’s Academy for Political Leadership, a great next step for ProFILE grads interested in working toward politics.
Tailored to those interested in vying for elected office, the Academy aims to help elevate agriculture’s voice at the local, state and national levels, ideally by equipping actual farmers with the tools they need to win elections.
Four sessions over four months cover everything from running an effective campaign to the U.S. Constitution, election laws and fundraising. Anyone interested should contact their county Farm Bureau’s administrative manager or MFB Regional Manager for more information!
Tirrell also offered an overview of AgriPac activities, including its endorsements for the upcoming general election.
The AgriPac committee is composed of 12 regular Farm Bureau members appointed by the MFB president and two members from the current board of directors. This committee compiles and reviews recommendations from county-level candidate evaluation committees to determine where MFB should focus its efforts for the biggest impact.
As AgriPac recommendations are shared with members, it’s important to remember they’re truly from the grass-roots, county level.
It was a full day of political discussions for our 2025 Profile class but also a great reminder of the huge impact Michigan Farm Bureau can have in our communities and the political realm.
In addition to being a member of the current ProFILE cohort, Andrew Braun is the winner of Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2024 Young Farmer Employee Award.
Share Story
Article Tags
Rebecca Gulliver
