Two California county farm bureaus are among 24 nationwide recognized by the American Farm Bureau Federation for innovative program ideas in this year’s County Activities of Excellence Awards program. The program is part of AFBF’s 97th Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show.
The CAE program acknowledges and shares successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities. The awards are based on county Farm Bureau membership. Counties compete for recognition in five different groups. Those groups are county Farm Bureaus with membership of less than 1,000 members, 1,001-3,000 members, 3,001-5,000 members, more than 5,001 members and a new category this year for collaborative multi-county activities regardless of membership size.
“A genuine commitment to improving county programming was clearly demonstrated by this year’s entries,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Grassroots Farm Bureau members continue to find creative ways to enrich their communities by sharing information about today’s food and farming,” he said.
This year’s CAE award winners come from 11 states: California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. The winners (listed by state and county Farm Bureau) are:
Education and Ag Promotion
Delaware
Farm-to-Fork Dinner, Kent
Georgia
Farm Bureau Farmer’s Market, Paulding
Illinois
Grain for Growth Wagon, Effingham
Farm Trek 2015, Hancock and McDonough
Farm Camp, Whiteside
Indiana
Fair Scavenger Hunt, Fulton
Kansas
A Slice of Ag in Every Pizza, Stafford
Missouri
Our Many Ways to Thank a Farmer, Wright
Nebraska
School Beef Program, Cheyenne
Once Upon a Farm, Douglas
Ohio
Agriculture Awareness Day, Athens-Meigs
The Life of a Cow, Auglaize, Logan, Darke and Clark
Breakfast on the Farm, Fulton
Family Agriculture Education Tents, Medina
Texas
Grain Bin Safety Training/Demonstration, Lamar
Member Services
California
A Partnership for Successful Resource Planning, Modoc
Illinois
Manure Pit Safety/Rescue Training, Mercer
Nebraska
Ag Night at the Ball Park, Lancaster
Ohio
Nutrient Management Record Keeper, Knox
Farm-er-taining Ag Tour/Annual Meeting, Pike
Public Relations & Information
California
Stanislaus Rural Crime Alert Facebook Page, Stanislaus
Illinois
Grocery Giveaway, Cook
Ohio
Annual Thanksgiving Food Basket Giveaway, Clermont
South Carolina
Ag Works – Farm Eye for the City Guy, Lexington