(Madison County, NY – Dec. 18, 2015) The Madison County Farm Bureau received recognition for its hard work and dedication in advocating, educating and promoting agriculture at New York Farm Bureau’s State Annual Meeting in Albany last week. The County Farm Bureau was presented with five Silver Key Awards for attaining outstanding achievements by involving leaders and members in programs serving agriculture. The awards were presented for excellence in the following categories:
- Membership
- Agricultural Education & Promotion
- Information and Public Relations
- Leadership Development
- Policy Development & Implementation – State & National.
Madison County also received an Honorable Mention in the Promotion and Education Awards for their inaugural “Celebrity Bartender” event at Owera Vineyards that brought farmers together with the non-farm public, to not only raise awareness of the impact of local farms on their communities, but also raised funds for the hunger relief mission of the Food Bank of Central New York.
County Farm Bureau member Rebecca Gottlieb was recognized for her 2nd place finish in the NYFB Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet and Greg and Bailey Coon were reelected to serve another term on the State Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.
“We are very thankful to be recognized for our efforts by New York Farm Bureau,” said Madison County Farm Bureau President Darrell Griff. “We work really hard to cultivate programs to meet the needs of our membership and find unique ways to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture while giving back to our communities.”
Griff was also signaled out for his years of service on NYFB’s State Board as he retires from that role to focus on his responsibilities as County Farm Bureau President.
Along with Griff, Dave Taylor and Greg Coon received Carhartt jackets for their membership recruitment efforts. Named Farm Bureau MVV’s, they each signed up at least five new members this past year.
“Membership is a crucial part of Farm Bureau. I am proud to work alongside dedicated volunteers who give up their time to add strength and voices to our organization,” said Madison County Farm Bureau Membership Chair Dave Taylor.
Farmer members also took part in the grassroots process of laying the groundwork for the year ahead. More than 150 delegates from across New York proposed, discussed and voted on resolutions that set NYFB’s public policy agenda for 2016. Madison County Farm Bureau moved and successfully instituted a by-law change that will allow NYFB State Board of Directors to serve five two-year terms instead of the current limitation of three two-year terms.
One of the big takeaways from the meeting was the looming fight over the proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“The impact the wage proposal will have on farms across the state is potentially devastating,” said Griff. “Hearing firsthand stories from so many farmers on what this means for them reinforces how important it is for Farm Bureau to stand united and strong in opposing this proposed law to “Keep the Barn Doors Open.”