By Julie Tomascik
Editor

Seizing the momentum, building leaders and growing membership were on the agenda for the 2024 County Presidents’ Conference, which was held Feb. 28-29 at the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Conference and Training Center in Waco.

“Every other year, we host the Presidents’ Conference, and it’s a good opportunity to visit about goals, ideas and ways we can add value to Farm Bureau membership,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “This year’s conference gave our leaders the tools to seize the momentum we generated last year to help us be even more successful in 2024.”

Guest speakers and several breakout sessions helped county presidents learn about purpose activities and how county leaders can use various TFB resources and programs.

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall was one of the speakers who addressed the crowd.

“It’s important to talk about the seat you hold in our organization,” Duvall said. “From my perspective, as president of the national organization, we are successful in our mission when our country presidents have their membership engaged. Membership really moves the needle when it comes to policy, giving back to your community or whatever we might work on as an organization.”

That engagement message is truly important for members to act on opportunities and to participate in activities within TFB.

Breakout sessions on AGFUND, the Young Farmer & Rancher program, and organizational opportunities and educational resources capitalized on the purpose of engagement, involvement and building on the momentum of a successful year.

“Staff and county leaders led these workshops to help our county presidents identify opportunities to make an impact in their counties,” Boening said.

The conference ended with sessions on Kaput Feral Hog Bait. Presenters offered an overview of field trial results and a deeper discussion into the bait application, along with an equipment demonstration.

Boening urged those in attendance to take back the information learned during the two-day conference and share it with board members and county Farm Bureau offices to seize the momentum this year.

“We had such a successful year in 2023, and I know we can do that and more in 2024,” Boening said. “We all ride for the Farm Bureau brand, and together, we can achieve success for all of agriculture.”

County Farm Bureau presidents encouraged to seize the momentum Seizing the momentum, building leaders and growing membership were on the agenda for the 2024 County Presidents’ Conference.