August newsletter
I guess it’s the time of year when everyone is supposed to be enjoying nice summer evenings on the porch with a glass of lemonade and some watermelon while smelling the corn pollinating and watching fireflies skirt across the top of the soybeans…or some other storybook fantasy about farming. That’s not the way my world works and probably not many of yours either. I don’t know how it’s happened but over my career the seasons have all merged together, one running right into another. Equipment and myself don’t seem to see much of a break as it seems used to. Quite honestly it’s pretty much overtime season most of the time anymore. Farms are getting larger, there’s a lot more grain to handle, and more crop enhancement and protection operations going on than ever before. We are just plain busy and a lot of us stretched thin.
In addition to everything else, your county farm bureau board president (Me) is also preparing for the annual presidents conference, which from the time of this writing, is one week away. I could pack my bag next Monday morning, head to Bloomington and listen to some updates from staff, chit chat with friends, eat a decent meal or 2 , and listen to a guest speaker at the conclusion. Then I could come home Tuesday evening with some tidbits to bring back to our board about what’s going on in Bloomington and not deal with anything else for quite some time. But this year is probably a little different. It’s an election year, there’s quite a bit of talk, and quite a bit of action in the house that needs attention. Those things will get addressed and we will move forward best we can. There’s no question the county farm bureau of old will look different in the future. How exactly is anyone’s guess but we are certainly facing a changing dynamic in our membership and a decline in rural populations. There simply aren’t as many farmers as there used to be and that’s no different across every other county in Illinois. Farm Bureau has and will continue to service the unique needs facing rural America but it’s got to be a group effort by those of us at the grass roots level and your input is vital.
Our forefathers set this organization up for success over 100 years ago in numerous ways. From the unique ways we finance ourselves to the unique ways we can finance the future. Our predecessors were pretty savvy for the times. With not much for communication compared to today, they still managed to get together and discuss, hash things around and thoroughly think things through as a group at events such as this president’s conference. They planned for success and there was no room for complacency. Settling for mediocrity and just getting by wasn’t an option. When it comes to this year’s conference, that’s the message I’ll be taking, that there is no room for complacency and we must look to the future.
Complacency might be ‘easy’ but that won’t set us up for the future. I was approached 5 years ago by a neighbor to take their place on this farm bureau board, and it was an honor for me to be considered for it. I’m going to bring to our board the idea that we need to always be looking forward to the next group of leaders who take our place. Not to look at it as just “serving your time and rubber stamping the bills” but to carry on, protect and enhance what our forefathers and predecessors put together. We may have to change our structure in subtle ways over the years to come but your local farm bureau will be there for the next generations as it’s always been there for you and I. If you ever get approached by someone to serve on a board, take it as a compliment and consider doing it as someone thought highly enough of you to be a voice for agriculture in the future. You can make a difference.
