I'm honored and truly humbled to lead this great organization as your 17th president of Michigan Farm Bureau.
I’m extremely grateful for the support of Farm Bureau members, the voting delegates at our recent annual meeting and our Michigan Farm Bureau board of directors for their support and putting their faith in me to continue the leadership legacy established since 1919.
I’m also blessed with the support of my family, including my wife Kelsey, our two sons, Keaton and Cameron, and our daughter, Lauren. We farm in a partnership with my parents, Glenn and Judy LaCross, and I'm so proud to have their support that allows me to serve in this role.
I would also like to thank Carl Bednarski and the entire Bednarski family, Lisa and his boys. Carl's leadership to this organization was strong throughout his 10-year tenure as president of Michigan Farm Bureau.
He always stayed committed to the Michigan Farm Bureau mission and led by example in addressing challenges and making tough decisions head-on for the betterment of the organization and Michigan agriculture.
As a row-crop farmer, Carl’s commitment to learn about the diversity and to truly understand the issues affecting all segments of Michigan agriculture left a lasting impression upon me — a tradition that I’m committed to honor and replicate.
We have great leaders throughout Michigan Farm Bureau, from individual county committee members, county boards and presidents all the way to the state-level committees and your state board of directors, which results in a healthy organization focused on our members and the future of Michigan agriculture.
I'm inspired by Farm Bureau members every day, by what you do to provide food for consumers, and by your committed involvement in this organization to build a secure future for our families and our industry.
That inspiration drives me, and I know it drives the rest of the board of directors to do the right thing, to move agriculture forward, to help solve the problems that our farmers face at the local, state and national level through the collective voice this organization provides and represents.
Every year during our state annual meeting, I’m reminded of what drives this organization — our county Farm Bureau leaders and their steadfast support of this organization as voting delegates.
The mere fact that more than 400 members take the time away from their respective farm operations to discuss, debate and establish Farm Bureau policy that provides direction in the interest of advancing agriculture is a testament to the value of our grassroots process.
Clearly, our county Farm Bureau boards and committees are the backbone of this organization. Without them, our effectiveness would be greatly diminished. We're committed to strengthening those relationships to give them what they need to be successful at the local level.
With the strength of our county and state-level committee structure, including Young Farmers, Promotion & Education, Candidate Evaluation Committees and Commodity Advisory Committees, we have countless opportunities to build upon existing relationships with commodity groups and stakeholder groups such as Michigan State University and our state legislature to move our organization and Michigan agriculture forward.
We will remain steadfast in our commitment to improving Michigan agriculture throughout our entire state. That commitment extends to growing ag leaders at all levels of the organization as well to continue the history and the lineage that we have of growing strong Michigan agricultural leaders.
We have the opportunity to write the pages of the next successful chapter in the history of Michigan Farm Bureau. With your support and with the support of county Farm Bureaus, we are going to stay focused on finding the solutions to the problems facing agriculture while honoring the Farm Bureau mission.
Sincerely,
Ben LaCross