By Allison Whiten

Sara Bullis shows that anyone can be involved in agriculture and Farm Bureau as long as they have passion. Sara currently lives in Vermont with her new husband and fur baby. While she is passionate about agriculture now, her story did not start out that way.

Sara did not grow up with an agriculture background. As she said, “You can’t have a cow in a one-acre lot in the suburbs.” Her agriculture story began in high school through FFA and agriscience biotechnology. Through her involvement in these programs, she found a love of farming that’s evident when you speak to her. Sara continued to foster this passion through college. While attending the University of Vermont, Sara participated in the Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management (CREAM) program, during which she learned about dairy health and management while working with other students to care for the dairy herd.

Sara struggled early on to identify as a farmer because she was not farming 365 days a year. As she became more involved with Farm Bureau and agriculture, that changed. Sara has served as the Grand Isle County Young Farmers & Ranchers chair in Vermont, in addition to serving on the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee from 2022 to 2024. When asked why she became involved with Farm Bureau, she replied, “I wanted to be involved in agriculture outside of my professional job.”

In addition to her full-time job as a mail carrier, Sara also works with her husband on their fourth-generation dairy farm. On the farm, she helps to manage yearly house rentals as well as artificial insemination for their herd. In addition, she is the Grand Isle County Farm Bureau president and serves as her county’s Promotion & Engagement Committee chair. Through Farm Bureau, she has found that anyone can identify with agriculture. She says, “As long as you tell your story, you're going to be a good advocate.”

In striving to be part of the “The Unifying Voice of Vermont Agriculture,” Sara shares the same mission as Vermont Farm Bureau. She has found that she can represent farmers who like to stay in the background and struggle to share their voice. She uses her experiences and strengths to share agriculture’s story.

Sara is open to engaging and working with everyone, regardless of their agricultural or Farm Bureau background. She reminds members to not be afraid to get involved, encouraging them to dive right in. She learned and grew the most when she got involved in agriculture and Farm Bureau and asked questions. She also stressed the importance of being involved on the national level, even if it is just attending a conference. Through the conferences, members get to meet people from all over the world and connect on the things they have in common, particularly their passions, and learn from their differences.. She also gave a wonderful reminder that there isn’t a stupid question. So many farmers love to talk about what they do and will welcome someone who is getting answers straight from the source. As she stated, “You don’t know unless you ask.”

Allison Whiten and her husband, Andy, serve on the AFBF YF&R Committee. They grow corn, wheat and soybeans in South Carolina. In addition to the row crops, Whiten Farms produces poultry. Allison is a special education teacher at a local elementary school and also leads a school-based 4-H club.

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Launched for the 2023-2024 school year, Michigan Farm Bureau’s Farm Science Van allowed the organization to reach 2,130 additional kindergarten-fifth grade students at 14 schools, an 11% increase from the previous school year’s engagement through their Farm Science Labs.

The Farm Science Van’s trained educators deliver in-school lessons that align with content standards and agricultural literacy, providing schools with the convenience of a hands-on agriculture learning experience without the hassle of transportation or field trip permissions.

Farm Science Programs

Michigan Farm Bureau’s FARM Science Programs began in 2016 with one FARM Science Lab, a concept developed by the state Promotion & Education Committee and supported through the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture. The program has since expanded to two labs, which travel statewide to offer kindergarten through fifth grade students a hands-on, field-trip-like experience. Annually, with the support of county Farm Bureaus, the programs reach 19,000 students, representing on average 12% to 15% of Michigan’s total kindergarten through fifth-grade student enrollment.

Exploring Options

As their 40-foot classrooms started to show their age and maintenance, space and transportation challenges kept popping up, Michigan Farm Bureau began exploring other consumer engagement options with an eye toward increasing engagement and education, minimizing transportation issues and providing more flexibility.

Michigan Farm Bureau conducted a deep dive on the Labs and alternatives that included market research, teacher surveys, stakeholder feedback and a comparison of the Labs to a van to ensure cost-effectiveness.

Much of the Van program’s design is based on Lab customers’ feedback. The new offering caters to smaller schools, homeschool groups and inner-city schools with a one-day minimum reservation, compared to the Labs’ two-day minimum. In addition, the Van costs $125 per day less than the Labs, making it more cost-effective.

Reach and Engagement Up

The Van helped Michigan Farm Bureau achieve its goal of reachin more students, with participation growing from more than 19,000 students and 1,000 educators on average each school year to more than 21,130 students when the Van program was launched for the 2023-2024 school year.

On top of the additional 2,130 students across 14 schools Michigan Farm Bureau reached through the Farm Science Van program, teacher feedback also suggests the Van is more effective for connecting with students, with a 5% higher rating for student engagement and learning compared to the Labs.

New Horizon Award

The Farm Science Van garnered Michigan Farm Bureau a 2025 New Horizon Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The award, which honors state Farm Bureaus with the most innovative new programs, is presented annually at the AFBF Convention.

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Spurred by a lack of conservation trusts for working farm, ranch and forest lands in one of the fastest-growing states, South Carolina Farm Bureau members in 2021 directed state Farm Bureau staff to explore creating such a trust. A wholly owned subsidiary of South Carolina Farm Bureau, South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust was launched in 2023 and has since protected 4,801 acres of working agricultural land worth over $5 million for the farmer landowners. In addition, there are 17,304 acres worth over $15 million in various stages of the easement process.

Equally as important as protecting the land is ensuring farmers and ranchers can continue to grow a crop sustainably on those protected lands while still being able to make business decisions based on their operation’s viability, including changing the commodities grown or practices used.

Easing Development Pressure

The trust helps ease the pressure many of the states’ farmers and ranchers are feeling with high inflation and low commodity prices offering little chance for an acceptable return on investment, making selling or developing their land a more viable option than carrying on.

It also creates options for beginning farmers and ranchers. Rather than compete with developers with much deeper pockets for land, people just getting started in agriculture can talk with a retiring farmer about creating an SCFBLT easement for their land, providing the retiring farmer compensation for the development value from the trust, and the new farmer can pay the agricultural value.

New Relationships

South Carolina Farm Bureau’s 80 years of working on behalf of the state’s agriculture industry gave previously reluctant farmers the confidence to pursue a conservation easement agreement. The trust has also given the organization added credibility with the state’s other conservation groups, serving as a foundation for new relationships with other nonprofits, as well as companies looking to increase their environmental, social and governance efforts.

Benefits go Beyond the Farm

Supporting a strong agriculture sector in the state, as the trust does, benefits far more than farmers and ranchers. It keeps more than 250,000 people employed in agriculture-related jobs and contributes more than $52 billion to South Carolina’s economy. The green spaces the trust preserves are valued by people across the state, as are the many local farm- and ranch-grown products they eat and use in various ways.

New Horizon Award

The South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust garnered South Carolina Farm Bureau a 2025 New Horizon Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The award, which honors state Farm Bureaus with the most innovative new programs, is presented annually at the AFBF Convention.

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Looking to connect consumers with the farmers growing and raising their families’ food, Wisconsin Farm Bureau in 2023 launched Gather Wisconsin, which includes a website, GatherWisconsin.com, with blog posts and recipes, as well as an annual print magazine and several member activities across the state.

In creating Gather Wisconsin’s resources and educational material, Wisconsin Farm Bureau collaborated with many of the state’s commodity groups and agricultural organizations, aligning as one cohesive, trusted voice to support the initiative’s three pillars: “Food,” “Family” and “Farming.”

Gather Wisconsin’s Food pillar highlights how food is selected, prepared, cooked and stored. In addition, this section of the website provides unbiased information about food labels and food choice and shares how families can support farmers, whether they are buying produce directly from a grower at a farmers market or picking up a pound of ground beef from the grocery store. The recipes in the Food pillar showcase Wisconsin commodities and products.

The Family pillar focuses on how food is experienced in the home and features an interactive “Sustainability at Home” map offering tips and tricks to help consumers reach their own sustainability goals in the home and share the responsibility with farmers to protect natural resources.

The Farming pillar allows consumers to get to know the farmers behind the food in various ways. Consumers can submit their questions for a volunteer farmer to answer. The “Leaders of the Land” monthly profile introduces consumers to Farm Bureau members who are champions in sustainability. The profiles are included in an interactive map.

Beyond the website, Gather Wisconsin also produces a 24-page magazine delivered to more than 40,000 associate membership households, with additional copies shared by Farm Bureau volunteers at events across the state.

Gather Wisconsin’s continued expansion included sponsorship of the cups at the Wisconsin State Fair Foundation’s Milk House. The cup design featured Gather Wisconsin’s social media and website information, including a QR code linking directly to the website – and an opportunity to vote on your favorite Milk House milk flavor and sign up for the Gather Wisconsin e-newsletter.

The sponsorship also included billboard signage at the state fair and a one-day event booth staffed by Farm Bureau members who offered a variety of activities and giveaways.

County Farm Bureaus are increasingly involved in sharing Gather Wisconsin’s offerings. Last year, every district in the state was equipped with a Gather Wisconsin resource kit to assist them in utilizing the resources in their programming. Additionally, webinars, workshops and training opportunities are presented to members to keep their engagement high and effective.

New Horizon Award

Gather Wisconsin garnered Wisconsin Farm Bureau a 2025 New Horizon Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The award, which honors state Farm Bureaus with the most innovative new programs, is presented annually at the AFBF Convention.

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Looking to boost not only membership but also county Farm Bureau participation in the organization’s annual month-long membership drive, Montana Farm Bureau provided counties with swag to make outreach more fun and engaging.

Montana’s May Membership Month promotional materials, which county Farm Bureaus could select from the Membership Month Menu, included “Join the Herd,” “Tag, You’re It” and “We’d G’Love You to Join” postcards members were encouraged to share with friends, family and neighbors along with matching Montana Farm Bureau-branded squishy stress-relief cows, key chain ear tags and cotton roping gloves. The postcards featured the Montana Farm Bureau vision statement and a QR code for the organization’s membership page.

Members gave away the items to potential recruits at picnics, Young Farmer and Rancher dances and town hall meetings. Some members even went door-to-door.

Montana Farm Bureau’s effort upped county Farm Bureaus’ involvement in recruiting new members during Membership Month – and brought in 17 new members.

New Horizon Award

The Membership Month materials garnered Montana Farm Bureau a 2025 New Horizon Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The award, which honors state Farm Bureaus with the most innovative new programs, is presented annually at the AFBF Convention.

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Delaware Farm Bureau’s #WhyFarm Bureau social media campaign, launched in summer 2024, highlights the many benefits of being a Farm Bureau member – for long-time and new farmers alike, as well those involved in agriculture-related professions and consumers.

The organization is particularly keen on engaging with the next generation of farmers, who may not have been raised with Farm Bureau like many of their parents and grandparents. Meeting these potential new members where they’re at, which is social media for many, Delaware Farm Bureau is focusing on Instagram and Facebook, creating on-trend Reels (short videos that play on the two platforms) in which members highlight the various aspects of Farm Bureau’s mission and how that personally resonates with them and meets their needs.

Through the #WhyFarm Bureau campaign videos and graphics, Delaware Farm Bureau also seeks to connect with their “Professionally Engaged” members and attract several more. The Professionally Engaged membership is for people employed in the agricultural sector, such as crop insurance agents.

The campaign also broadens the potential membership base by demonstrating how individuals not involved in agriculture can join Farm Bureau and support their local farmers.

New Horizon Award

The #WhyFarmBureau social media campaign garnered Delaware Farm Bureau a 2025 New Horizon Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The award, which honors state Farm Bureaus with the most innovative new programs, is presented annually at the AFBF Convention.

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With several important provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire at the end of 2025, South Dakota Farm Bureau hosted four meetings in July to help their members better advocate for making permanent the doubled estate tax exemption, business deductions and reduced pass-through tax rates, among other farmer-friendly provisions.

Speakers from South Dakota Farm Bureau, American Farm Bureau Federation and the South Dakota Department of Revenue shared their tax and advocacy expertise at the gatherings. In addition, South Dakota Farm Bureau provided the 61 attendees with take-home materials including a booklet covering the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, detailed property tax information and more, as well as an action alert template to use to contact legislators.

Strategic Action Fund

South Dakota Farm Bureau’s tax meetings were funded through a grant from the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Strategic Action Fund. Through the fund, state Farm Bureaus with fewer than 25,000 members were eligible to apply for funding of up to $5,000 for projects that address AFBF’s board-adopted 2024 priority issues or address an organizational need that supports advocacy around priority issues.

Several state Farm Bureaus – Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas – each contributed at least $1,000 to the Strategic Action Fund for the 2024 round of projects.

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In October 2024, Vermont Farm Bureau hosted the Bridging the Divide conference, bringing together representatives from 16 agriculture-related groups in the state to identify shared priorities so they can better advocate for agriculture in a unified voice.

The Vermont Agency for Food and Agriculture participated in the conference as well, with state Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts kicking off the event by emphasizing how important it is that the groups work together.

The groups came prepared to discuss their perspectives on the positive aspects of Vermont agriculture, as well as where they saw challenges. In addition, they shared their own organization’s priorities for the upcoming legislative session. This laid the foundation for finding several areas of consensus.

Passage of a new, modernized farm bill was a top concern for all the groups, as was the need for the groups to work together as a coalition on issues addressed by the Legislature in Vermont, where farmers, horticulturalists, foresters and others involved in agriculture are in the minority.

The groups also committed to coming together annually to review their goals and further identify common priorities.

Strategic Action Fund

Vermont’s event was funded through a grant from the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Strategic Action Fund. Through the fund, state Farm Bureaus with fewer than 25,000 members were eligible to apply for funding of up to $5,000 for projects that address AFBF’s board-adopted 2024 priority issues or address an organizational need that supports advocacy around priority issues.

Several state Farm Bureaus – Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas – each contributed at least $1,000 to the Strategic Action Fund for the 2024 round of projects.

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By Bev Flatt

In the heart of New York's agricultural landscape, where rolling hills meet fertile valleys, a quiet revolution has been taking place. At the helm of this movement is Paul Molesky Jr., a farmer with a heart as big as the Empire State itself. As the COVID-19 pandemic cast a long shadow over the nation, Molesky became a beacon of hope and resilience as he took on the role of chair of the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.

Molesky's journey to leadership began on his family's small beef and hay operation. "Growing up on the farm instilled in me a deep appreciation for the land and the hard work that goes into producing food," Molesky recalled. His passion for agriculture was further fueled by his academic pursuits in animal science.

After graduating from college, Molesky gained valuable experience managing large dairy operations. His ability to lead and succeed in demanding environments quickly made him a respected figure in the industry. In recent years, Molesky has transitioned to a role as a dairy nutrition consultant, leveraging his expertise to help farmers optimize their operations.

Molesky's commitment to Farm Bureau has been unwavering. He has served on county boards, state YF&R committees and the AFBF YF&R committee. His continuing engagement includes his current role on the New York Farm Bureau board. His dedication to the organization and his ability to connect with farmers from all walks of life have made him a respected leader.

"Farm Bureau has been instrumental in providing a platform for farmers to advocate for their needs and interests," Molesky said. "I'm proud to have played a role in shaping the organization's direction during such a critical time."

Molesky's Farm Bureau experiences have not only shaped his professional career but have also had a profound impact on his personal growth. As an introvert, he has learned to step outside of his comfort zone and embrace opportunities for public speaking and networking. "Leadership requires stepping up and being a voice for the community," Molesky explained. "It's been a challenging but rewarding journey."

Looking ahead, Molesky plans to continue using his influence to support agriculture at all levels. He is passionate about agricultural policy and advocacy and believes in the importance of American agriculture's ingenuity and productivity. Molesky intends to advocate for policies that support farmers and promote the sustainability of the industry.

As Paul Molesky Jr. continues to make his mark, it is clear that his leadership, dedication and passion for farming will continue to inspire and guide the next generation of farmers.

Bev Flatt serves on the AFBF YF&R Committee, along with her husband, James. Together they raise beef cattle, poultry, goats and vegetables in Tennessee. Bev also works off the farm in international policy development for a major agricultural company.

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The American Farm Bureau Federation is excited to offer special programming for youth active in 4-H, FFA and Junior MANRRS at the American Farm Bureau Convention, Jan. 24-29, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.

AFBF prioritizes supporting the next generation of agriculturalists and is proud to partner with organizations focused on cultivating those leaders.

With the theme of “Step Up, Drive Forward,” the 106^th consecutive convention offers attendees unique insights on the policies and perspectives that will affect farms, ranches and agribusinesses in 2025 and beyond and will showcase how everyone, no matter their age, plays a role in the Farm Bureau family.

The free youth program, which will be held on Sunday, Jan. 26, runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes the convention opening and mid general sessions, time to explore the trade show, access to workshops, and a special training and panel discussion.

“The youth programming at convention allows 4-H, FFA and Junior MANRRS members to explore much of what Farm Bureau has to offer, but without the cost of a registration fee,” said Maddie Dvorak, AFBF assistant director of member engagement. “We hope the students’ time at convention leads to many more opportunities to engage with Farm Bureau as they hone their leadership and business skills and develop their future within our industry.”

Throughout their day-long experience, 4-H, FFA and Junior MANRRS attendees will also have the opportunity to meet with industry professionals, farmers and ranchers from across the country, learning about careers in agriculture.

More information about the Youth Leadership Program at convention can be found here. Advisors and club leaders can register their 4-H, FFA and Junior MANRRS members here. The free registration includes one free chaperone and advisor/club leader per chapter/club.

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