By Julie Tomascik
Associate Editor

Several audiences, a consistent message and a dedicated board led one county Farm Bureau to the top.

Baylor County Farm Bureau (CFB) put their local agricultural stories in the spotlight, connecting farmers and ranchers with others in their community. And, for their efforts, they received the 2015 Most Outstanding County Farm Bureau award at Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) 82nd annual meeting in Arlington.

“Baylor CFB worked all year on behalf of Texas agriculture,” said Dale Bullock, TFB director of Field Operations. “Receiving this prestigious award is recognition for their passion and dedication to agriculture and teamwork to get the job done.”

It took many early mornings, late nights and a whole lot of planning.

Throughout the year, Baylor CFB connected and engaged with leaders on the local, state and national level. The CFB’s leaders, employees and members promoted agriculture, legislative involvement and Farm Bureau.

It was time away from their farms and ranches, family and jobs. But it was time well spent in legislative offices, classrooms, local meetings and more.

“We have a policy book to go by and we spend a lot of time meeting with our senators and representatives to show that we’re protecting the right of rural America and sharing our stories,” said Mark Daniel, Baylor CFB president.

And share they did.

County leaders met with their state and national legislators to discuss issues important to not only farmers and ranchers, but also the area as a whole.

Keeping elected officials up-to-date as they decide future policy for agriculture is paramount, Daniel said. Solid relationships and an environment to exchange ideas and information helps everyone move forward.

They traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of the National Affairs Awards Trip, walking the halls and being the voice of Texas agriculture.

But they did more than talk agricultural policy.

They also sponsored activities locally for young farmers and ranchers and promoted youth activities. They sent two high school students to attend TFB’s Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) in Stephenville over the summer and one to serve as a junior counselor. They sponsored one student in TFB’s Free Enterprise Speech Contest and awarded $1,500 in scholarships to high school seniors.

The group even purchased the grand champion steer at the county livestock show.

The activities didn’t stop there.

They entered classrooms, working with teachers to provide agricultural resources and information.

“This year was the first year for us to host a breakfast to meet the teachers and provide agricultural materials to kindergarten through fifth grade teachers,” Daniel said.

Nearly 30 teachers were in attendance. Ones who will take the resources and make agriculture come to life in their classrooms.

In April, the group also hosted Agriculture in the Classroom for 40 fourth grade students from Seymour ISD. The hands-on experience transported students into agriculture and sparked questions and learning.

Baylor CFB worked with junior high students—sixth through eighth grade—on water conservation. A full day of conservation activities and tips took their learning to the next level. And inspired ways for students to preserve one of the Lone Star State’s most precious resources.

Being involved in the schools and with the students is the future of agriculture, Daniel said.

The group also participated in Texas Food Connection Week, formerly Food Check-Out Week, which encourages county Farm Bureaus to engage with consumers and their community on food prices, safety and production.

And they held a membership benefits exposition in conjunction with the Baylor County Agriculture Appreciation Day. The local Chevrolet and Case IH dealers, along information on other benefits, were on hand for a day packed with agriculture information.

These activities encourage a partnership between Baylor CFB and its community.

“Agriculture is part of this community, and so is our county Farm Bureau,” Daniel said. “Winning this award shows the county and surrounding counties what can be brought back to District 3 by being active.”

And they don’t have any plans to stop doing that.

They’ve now won the coveted Most Outstanding Co