By Julie Tomascik
Editor
The future of any organization requires strong leadership, and the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) County Presidents’ Conference this week worked to empower county leaders.
More than 150 farmers and ranchers gathered in Waco at Texas Farm Bureau’s Conference and Training Center for the meeting.
Passion, advocacy efforts and a strong volunteer leadership were key messages during the two-day event.
“We work together, and we work effectively,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “When all the elements of Farm Bureau do that, we become greater than the sum of the parts of this organization.”
He stressed that traditions are important, but so is change.
“We will never abandon our traditions of Farm Bureau and agriculture. We are, in fact, speaking of those things more today than we ever have before,” he said. “To do that, we must talk to our fellow Texans and prospective members in ways they understand, using the same tools they use.”
Those tools include technology and social media—reaching out across all platforms to make connections, build new relationships and strengthen old ones.
“Technology will become even more readily available,” he said. “Texas Farm Bureau must be a part of this change in information delivery.”
Boening noted that some organizations struggle to grow and remain relevant.
“Many organizations either fade away or lose their effectiveness because they are reluctant to accept change,” Boening said. “We can either embrace the opportunity to use new tools and methods, or become irrelevant. We can engage or get used to the idea that we won’t be as effective as we once were.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also addressed the county leaders, saying agriculture is important to Texas.
“You are important. You are a major part of our economic engine,” Patrick said. “We are the tenth largest economy in the world. If we were a country, we would be larger than Russia.”
Agriculture needs help, though. That help includes infrastructure improvements to transport agricultural commodities. He highlighted funding that had been allocated to improve Texas ports.
“We need to improve our infrastructure outside the gate or we can’t ship our products anywhere,” he said. “Farm to market—that’s the best way we can help you in that regard. Otherwise the ships are just going to pass us by.”
Other speakers included Dr. Courtney Dodd, assistant agency director and program leader for the Texas 4-H Youth Development Program, and Dr. Michael Gallery, president of OPIS, LLC.
County Farm Bureau leaders also led workshops to share about their experiences on membership promotion and county conventions.