Arizona Farm Bureau Makes its Mark in Snowy Atlanta
Delegation enjoys success at the 2011 AFBF Convention
By Paul Brierley, Arizona Farm Bureau
It was a weekend of historic snow and ice for the city of Atlanta, and a weekend of historic achievement for the Arizona Farm Bureau. A delegation of thirty volunteer leaders from around the state and Farm Bureau staff headed to Atlanta in mid-January for the 92nd American Farm Bureau (AFBF) annual meeting. It turned out to be challenging to get around town due to record snow and ice that shut down the city, but it was no challenge to find great information and fellowship among 5,000 other farmers and ranchers from around the country.
Sharla Mortimer, from Dewey, represented Arizona in the Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet contest, trying to win the prize of a new Dodge Ram pickup. Competing against 36 contestants from other states, Sharla did a great job and became the second Arizonan in history to make it to the semi-final “Sweet-sixteen” round of competition.
After emceeing much of the Sunday devotional service, Sherry Saylor, from Buckeye, was re-elected vice-chair of the AFBF Women’s Leadership Committee. And during the Flapjack Fundraiser breakfast, AZFB was recognized for their support of the AFBF Foundation for Agriculture.
Arizona Farm Bureau was also in for some historic recognition in Atlanta. AFBF President Bob Stallman presented President Kevin Rogers with State Awards for Excellence for the service provided to members through leadership, volunteer activities, programs and services in four of five categories: Agriculture Education and Promotion, Leadership Development, Policy Implementation, and Public Relations and Information. Also, AZFB earned President’s Awards in three of those categories: Leadership Development, Policy Implementation, and Public Relations and Information.
For the second year in a row, Arizona Farm Bureau was recognized as the “best-in-class” state Farm Bureau with the AFBF Pinnacle Award, recognizing excellence among peer states in programs along with growth in membership. Arizona had earlier won the Navigator award for its strong membership growth of over six percent.
When not hearing from speakers in general session, there was a lot to do for attendees. Informational seminars provided speakers on everything from the 2011 crops and livestock outlook and food safety to environmental regulations and management techniques. The AFBF trade show was combined with the Ag Connect Expo, showcasing over 400 Ag exhibitors with lots of agricultural steel and muscle on display.
And to finish the convention in style, Mike Rowe – famous for his Dirty Jobs TV show – gave a great talk about his love of farmers and ranchers, who “work both smart and hard.” He had taken offense to the saying “work smarter, not harder.” Mike’s visit to Arizona’s own Hickman’s Eggs was discussed during his keynote address as one of three visits that led to unfounded complaints from government and activist “experts.” His summation was, “If they were wrong about what they saw on Dirty Jobs, then what else are they wrong about?”
On the final day, AZFB delegates Kevin Rogers, Tim Dunn and Stefanie Smallhouse worked the delegate floor to promote passage of AZFB policies on border security, federal land management, transportation and other issues. Border security in Arizona now has support from farmers and ranchers across the United States.
Adam Hatley, Maricopa County Farm Bureau president, enjoyed the convention with his wife Michelle. They were impressed. “This was my first AFBF convention, and I was really impressed with the great information and accomplishments of the Farm Bureau organization!” said Adam.
