Membership Volunteers Make Up Producer Club
F
arm Bureau’s fifth consecutive year of membership growth was made possible, in large part, due to the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteer membership workers who take pride in recruiting new members every year. For three decades, the Farm Bureau Producer Club has recognized members who sign at least five new Farm Bureau members during the membership year, which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. In 2012, 69 Farm Bureau volunteers from 38 counties earned Producer Club status. Producer Club member Karyn Schauf from Barron County summed up her philosophy on the importance
Counties Recognized at Annual Meeting
“Our forefathers created a government by the people, making great effort to insure each person’s voice was heard, their opinion considered, their vote be counted.“ - Karyn Schauf, Barron County of membership recruitment by saying, “Our forefathers created a government by the people, making great effort to insure each person’s voice was heard, their opinion considered, their vote be counted. Farm Bureau creates that avenue within the ag community allowing our conversations and concerns at the local level to truly affect the decisions made at our state and national levels. That is very important to me and should be to every person out there who wants to make their livelihood from agriculture!” Once again, Fond du Lac County Membership Chairman, Trayton Greenfield, led the way among all volunteers with 36 new members signed.
Other top membership workers included Randy Wokatsch (22 new members), Karyn Schauf (12), Jim Meng (12), Andrea Brossard (11), Al Klapoetke (11), David Henselin (11), Richard Roth (10), Mike Strupp (10), Maria McGinnis (9), Jeff Ditzenberger (9), Lyle Weden (9) and George Blomberg (9). “Farm Bureau membership work is the foundation that all other programs and activities are built upon,” said Bob Leege, Executive Director of Member Relations. “Farm Bureau’s continued success depends on a strong and growing membership, and our volunteer membership workers help ensure that Farm Bureau will have the base of active members and the financial strength to carry out our mission in years to come.”
County Farm Bureaus across Wisconsin work hard to promote agriculture, build membership and strengthen our programs. To honor this outstanding work, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation presented the 2012 County Activities of Excellence Awards during the recent WFBF Annual Meeting. Chosen counties and their outstanding areas of work include: Dane County for its successful membership campaign to reach 1,000 voting members and its Social Media Mondays project; Dunn County for its outreach and fundraising efforts on behalf of a local high school agriculture program; Washington County for its Farmer in the Classroom program; Rock County for its Farm Truck and Tractor Safety event; Outagamie County for its outreach efforts to state legislators; Waupaca County for its Spring Fling Planting Party, an event sponsored by the county Farm Bureau Women’s Committee for high school agri-science students; Green County for its innovative county annual meeting that attracted 150 members and guests; and Taylor County for its Farm Fresh on the Fourth consumer education event. These nine counties were awarded complimentary exhibit space at the WFBF Annual Meeting to highlight their achievements.
december | january 2012-13
www.wfbf.com
17