FARM BUREAU PROUD

With the close of the Farm Bureau membership year on Sept. 30, WFBF reported its 13th consecutive year of membership growth. A driving force behind this string of success has been the membership outreach efforts of Farm Bureau volunteers around the state who are committed to helping the organization meet its goals.

This dedicated group of volunteer membership workers who invited their friends and neighbors to join the organization helped add more than 470 new members to WFBF's membership rolls during the 2020 membership year.

For more than 35 years, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation has honored a select group of volunteer membership workers who sign at least five new Farm Bureau members during the membership year, which begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30. Known as the Farm Bureau Proud Club, this group included 38 membership workers from 24 counties in 2020.

With the WFBF Annual Meeting being held virtually this year due to COVID-19, the traditional Farm Bureau Proud Banquet honoring these membership workers could not be held. However, each member of the Farm Bureau Proud Club was presented with a special thank you gift in November. The Farm Bureau Proud gift boxes contain a variety of items, most of which are proudly produced and marketed by Farm Bureau members throughout Wisconsin. "It's great to see the commitment of our membership workers year after year," said Bob Leege, Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Executive Director of Member Relations. "This group takes a lot of pride in bringing new faces into our organization and helping to build Farm Bureau's influence. We look forward to bringing the group together again in future years recognize them and honor their work in front of the entire delegation at the WFBF Annual Meeting."

Once again, Fond du Lac County Membership Chair Trayton Greenfield led the way among all membership volunteers with 30 new members signed.

Other top 10 membership workers included Joe Bragger (20), Scott Breitrick (15), Monica Schwittay (14), Mike Harms (9), Al Klapoetke (9), Reuben Hopp, Scott Schreffler and Randy Wokatsch (8 each) and Eunice Yanke (7).

On Nov. 14, WFBF Promotion and Education Committee hosted their annual Leadership Boot Camp. The Leadership Boot Camp training series was designed to serve as a fast-paced, challenging, one-day training session based on topics the WFBF Leadership Institute covers.

Although 2020 marked the fourth year of the training series, this was the first time it was held virtually. It was originally planned to take place in-person at Heartland Farms in Hancock.

By holding the training virtually, members were able to participate from the comfort and safety of their own homes. In addition to keeping members' health and safety in mind, the virtual format allowed members from across the state to participate without the need to travel long distances. "We were excited to offer the same high-quality content without the need to travel and while keeping everyone's health and safety in mind," said Darby Sampson, 2020 WFBF Promotion and Education Committee chair.

Local-level engagement with elected officials was the topic of this year's Leadership Boot Camp. WFBF's Director of Local Affairs Steve Boe and Director of Governmental • Wisconsin Towns Association wisctowns.com/resources/town-websites • Directory of Wisconsin School Districts (public and private) dpi.wi.gov/directories • Wisconsin Counties Association wicounties.org/counties.iml • Contact Steve Boe with additional questions on local issues: sboe@wfbf.com

Relations Tyler Wenzlaff led the training with assistance from the Promotion and Education Committee. Attendees were provided examples of where to find information on town or county websites, tips for keeping track of local issues and how to contact elected officials. Attendees also heard directly from several elected officials what they believe are the most effective ways for constituents to have their voice heard.

Rural Mutual Insurance Company

Welcome and Keynote Speaker

The Ripples Guy Breakout Sessions Breakout Sessions Lunch Break Keynote Speaker

Animal Agriculture Alliance Breakout Sessions Closing Messages Adjourn

Registration will be available in early 2021.

For the latest updates, visit wfbf.com/events/ ag-lead-summit

Kathy Muth from Washington County, Brenda Dowiasch from Eau Claire County and Steven Mueller from St. Croix County have been appointed to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Promotion and Education Committee by the organization's Board of Directors. Their terms started after the virtual WFBF Annual Meeting. "I am excited to see the new ideas and enthusiasm that Kathy, Brenda and Steven will bring to the Promotion Muth and Education Committee over the next three years," said former WFBF President Joe Bragger.

Kathy farms with her husband, George, their son, Peter, and daughterin-law, Gina. They milk 250 cows in the town of Cheeseville. Kathy serves as Washington County Farm Bureau's Ag in the Classroom co-chair and enjoys facilitating learning opportunities centered around agriculture. She previously worked for Professional Dowiasch Dairy Producers where she learned about all aspects of the dairy industry.

Brenda grew up on her family's farm in western Wisconsin which sparked her love of agriculture. She works for the USDA Farm Service Agency as a member of the farm loan team serving north central Wisconsin. She is an active member of the Eau Claire County Farm Bureau, Augusta FFA Alumni and the local trapshooting team. Mueller

Steven, along with his family, grows crops on 700 acres in St. Croix County. After milking cows for 25 years, his family recently transitioned into cash crops. In addition to farm work, Steven works off the farm at a warehouse facility in Hudson. He also serves on the St. Croix County Farm Bureau board of directors. Steven and his wife, Ashley, have a daughter named Aria.

The Promotion and Education Committee is a group of nine leaders who represent the nine Wisconsin Farm Bureau districts. Committee members develop, implement and promote projects and programs which build awareness and understanding of agriculture and provide leadership development for the agricultural community. The committee's chair sits on WFBF's Board of Directors as the program's representative. The Promotion and Education Program is funded by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation. Keith and Savannah Henke of Jackson County, Sara Menard of Adams County and Lauren Kostello of Manitowoc Henkes County have been appointed to Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Agriculturist Committee by the organization's Board of Directors. Their terms began at the end of the virtual YFA Conference on Dec. 5. "It is exciting to see these young Menard members stepping up and assuming a leadership role in our organization," former WFBF President Joe Bragger said. "The YFA program is designed to build the next generation of Farm Bureau leaders and these appointees will surely rise to the occasion." Keith and Savannah were recently married Kostello and live in Black River Falls. Keith grew up on a dairy farm in Stanley before pursuing a degree in industrial mechanics at Chippewa Valley Technical College. He works for Millis Transfer driving freight throughout the Midwest. Savannah did not grow up on a farm, but her grandfather's farm was just down the road. She showed Brown Swiss at the county, state and national levels in addition to being an active member of 4-H and FFA. She earned a degree in dairy science and agricultural business from UW-River Falls. She is a graduate of WFBF's Leadership Institute. Savannah is the operations manager

YFA Committee continued at the Land O' Lakes Animal Milk Solutions plant in Black River Falls. Additionally, she is pursuing a master's degree in organizational leadership and development.

Sara may not be a Wisconsin native, but agriculture runs deep in her roots. Her father, an FFA advisor, is the reason she became interested in agriculture from a young age. She was active in 4-H and FFA showing livestock and participating in cooking competitions. Sara attended Louisiana State University where she met a food science professor who guided her education and career path. After earning a master's degree from Kansas State University in food science, Sara received a job offer from Grande Custom Ingredients in Fond du Lac and has called Wisconsin home ever since. She works as a senior food scientist at Brakebush Brothers in Westfield where she works with national restaurant chains to develop new chicken offerings.

Lauren is a crop insurance agent for Investors Community Bank based out of Manitowoc. In this role, she provides agricultural insurance products, including crop, livestock and milk insurance, throughout Wisconsin. Lauren grew up on her family's dairy farm near Ashland and was an active member of her local 4-H club where she showed cattle and horses. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a bachelor's degree in agriculture business with a dairy science minor. Lauren serves on the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau board of directors and is a graduate of WFBF's Leadership Institute.

The WFBF YFA Committee consists of nine couples or individuals (ages 18-35) from across the state. Its goal is to get more young farmers and agriculturists acquainted with and involved in Farm Bureau. They carry out a variety of statewide initiatives, such as conferences, contests and award programs. The YFA Program is funded by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation.