PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS
Membership Equals Influence
Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau
The importance of a
growing membership in
our organization cannot be
overstated. It is incumbent
upon all of us to encourage our
friends and neighbors who are
not members to join us in this
great association. There are no
other groups that have a policy
development process that enables individual members
to help set the direction of our organization.
Farm Bureau has become a respected entity in
Charleston and Washington because we have credible
policies that not only address important agricultural
issues, but also address many other topics of interest
to our members. We have developed the trust and
respect of lawmakers, because of the hard work
and efforts of so many of our members, and the
competent staff who work on our behalf every day.
As an organization, it is our responsibility to
provide accurate, timely information to members
on the issues of the day. A growing membership
helps to get this information out to more people,
hopefully securing their help with developing our
policy recommendations. And it is critical to the
future of Farm Bureau to bring more young people
into our organization. Young families today are
busier than ever, but we must impress upon them
the value of membership in a group that listens to
their concerns and works on their behalf to resolve
problems that they can’t resolve on their own.
Farm Bureau’s intervention on tax issues, state and
federal regulations, private property rights, limited
government, and other such issues should appeal to
people of all age groups.
Let’s ensure that Farm Bureau remains a viable,
influential organization that can make a difference.
Make a