Young Farmer and Rancher Update
Susan Wilkins, YF&R Vice-chair
As I was about to take off
on another Farm Bureau trip
(this time to Daytona Beach),
a co-worker said “How the
heck do you end up on these
trips?” I laughed and tried to
explain that I was attending
a leadership conference and
was a presenter there, but she didn’t understand
what the Farm Bureau had to do with leadership
and conferences and traveling. “Don’t farmers
need to be feeding their cows? Why do they
have meetings at the beach?” And when I started
talking about grassroots policy development she
really got confused.
It reinforced what I’ve told people before, that
in order to be good recruiters for Farm Bureau
and American agriculture, we all need to be ready
to explain what the purpose of the Farm Bureau
is and why membership in this organization is
a good thing. For our non-farmer members,
the membership advantages and discounts on
everything from hotels to prescription meds to
vehicles are incentives to join the Farm Bureau
family; but these perks take a back seat to the
farmer members for whom this organization really
exists. As farmers, Farm Bureau gives us a united
voice with our legislators in Washington, DC and
our state capitols across the country. Farm Bureau
is fighting for us when we can’t be there.
And for me, personally, Farm Bureau has
opened doors that I never imagined existed. When
I was in high school, all I could think about was
moving away from my family’s farm. I loved the
farm and I loved agriculture and I was a devoted
member of the FFA, but I didn’t see any future
for me on the farm. I wasn’t particularly excited
when my cousin dragged me along to a state Farm
Bureau annual meeting one fall when I was a
sophomore in college; but that weekend marked
a change in direction for me. I eventually found
that I was pretty passionate about this farming
way of life and equally passionate about being an
16 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
advocate for the industry.
Farm Bureau has helped me develop the
skills and the confidence to share my story with
everyone from my legislators in Washington,
DC, to strangers in a foreign country, to equally
devoted young farmers around the nation. Farm
Bureau has helped me realize that there is a future
for me on my family’s farm. I am fortunate to
have always had an extremely supportive family
in whatever choices I’ve made, but the choice I
made to live in Pocahontas County and be a part
of the farm on a daily basis has perhaps found the
most support of all.
That’s what Farm Bureau has done for me.
And that’s why I am proud to be a Farm Bureau
member. Why are you proud?
McCormick T-MAX,
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T-MAX Tractor - 83 - 110 HP Engine
The T-MAX was designed with flexibility in mind.
Ranging from 83 to 110 horsepower, the T-MAX has
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work with a choice of three transmission options.
we have a tractor for that
Schrock Farm Equipment
211 Wes White Rd.
Oakland, MD 21550