By Les Strojan, SJFB President
Willie Mays dies, Donald Trump is shot and we take our food supply for granted. Willie Mays reminds us of the good times in the ’50s and ’60s and Donald Trump’s incident brings the current social environment to a pinnacle. It can be argued the farm economy was just as bad in the ’50s and the ’60s and it was a time of unrest and violent acts in the country, but food was taken for granted even then. Although food costs are up, most of this is not getting through to the producers. Higher prices are needed to cover increased costs and provide a positive return.
A major theme of the Farm Bureau is telling the stories of farmers and ranchers to the general public hoping to teach them about our way of life to gain an appreciation of what goes into the production of food and fiber. This starts with grammar school kids at the various AgVenture events around the county and includes the long-standing Ag in The Classroom program. It’s not uncommon today when meeting someone they say my father was a farmer, my aunt and uncle were farmers, or my grandparents or great grandparents were farmers. The more generations removed from the farm, the less understanding of what it takes to keep a farm going. The more they understand the better for us.
By the time you read this we will have had two fundraisers that are being planned now. One to provide funds to support local candidates and issues favorable to agriculture in the upcoming election and the other to fund educational programs for youth and scholarships for college students. We are interviewing candidates seeking our valued endorsements.
We are rightfully proud of the relationships we have with our local elected officials. It’s clear our interests are considered in their decision making and their general support of agriculture.
You’ll read details of our recent Annual Meeting in this edition. It was a huge success showing we have turned the corner after years of the pandemic followed by six months without an executive director. The attendance was way up despite an undersold (and over-provided!) meal and no outside celebrity attractions. People came because they believe in the Farm Bureau from those in their first year to their 70th year of involvement and spread across many of the commodities produced here in the county.
We have a renewed emphasis on outreach to members, potential members and ag-related business in the upcoming year. I made a promise to those at the Annual Meeting that they would be hearing from us and intend to keep that promise.
In the meantime, look for upcoming events at the Farm Bureau in subsequent months and don’t hesitate to tell people what it takes to provide their food.
