By Lilly Stewart

Through its annual County Activities of Excellence Awards, the American Farm Bureau Federation celebrates county Farm Bureaus for their unique, volunteer-driven programming. The counties featured here were recognized for their public relations programs.

Hopkins County Farm Bureau Builds Medical Clinic for Liberia Community

Hopkins County (Kentucky) Farm Bureau converted a 40-foot shipping container into a medical clinic to be used in Liberia, Africa. Partnering with SOS International, Hopkins County Farm Bureau collected medical supplies and engaged over 400 high school students in building the clinic, involving them in everything from designing the clinic to putting in the plumbing.

Austin County Farm Bureau Hosts Feral Hog Management Meeting

Austin County (Texas) Farm Bureau educated members and non-members on best practices to deal with feral hogs, including entrapment.

Angelina County Farm Bureau Says ‘Thank You’ to Teachers

Angelina County (Texas) Farm Bureau provided a meal to teachers in one of the largest school districts in the county. During the meal they presented the teachers with Ag in the Classroom materials, information on Farm Bureau and a small appreciation gift.

County Activities of Excellence

Applications are now open for the 2025 County Activities of Excellence. Up to 24 counties will display their winning activities at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, in January. County award winners receive up to four free registrations to the Annual Convention (cost of travel and housing not included) and a $4,500 stipend to apply toward the cost of travel and exhibition.

Lilly Stewart was a summer 2025 intern in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Communications and Executive departments. She is a senior in agricultural business at the University of Wyoming.

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By Lilly Stewart

Through its annual County Activities of Excellence Awards, the American Farm Bureau Federation celebrates county Farm Bureaus for their unique, volunteer-driven programming. The counties featured here were recognized for their policy implementation program.

Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull (Ohio) County Farm Bureaus facilitated the Cultivating Strong Futures Conference for farmers, business owners, landowners and rural homeowners. The conference featured workshops on critical topics including alternative energy, nutrient management, farmland preservation, transition planning and farm efficiency through automation. These focus areas and workshops equipped their community members with the knowledge and resources to succeed and safeguard their farms and ranches for future generations.

County Activities of Excellence

Applications are now open for the 2025 County Activities of Excellence. Up to 24 counties will display their winning activities at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, in January. County award winners receive up to four free registrations to the Annual Convention (cost of travel and housing not included) and a $4,500 stipend to apply toward the cost of travel and exhibition.

Lilly Stewart is a summer 2025 intern in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Communications and Executive departments. She is a rising senior in agricultural business at the University of Wyoming.

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The County Activities of Excellence program is an American Farm Bureau Federation initiative that celebrates outstanding county Farm Bureau projects – unique, volunteer programming at the local level. Activities are recognized in the areas of Education & Ag Promotion, Member Services, Public Relations & Information, Leadership Development, Policy Implementation and Safety.

Through the program, up to 24 innovative county Farm Bureau activities from across the nation will be selected to display at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention and Trade Show in Anaheim, California, Jan. 9-14. Individual county and multicounty CAE winning entries will receive four complimentary registrations and a $4,500 cash award to be used toward travel and display costs to attend the convention.

AFBF is accepting applications from county Farm Bureaus through Sept. 2 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Additional details and the application link can be found here. Winners will be announced the first week of October.

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By Lilly Stewart

Through its annual County Activities of Excellence Awards, the American Farm Bureau Federation celebrates county Farm Bureaus for their unique, volunteer-driven programming. The following counties are being recognized for their programs and activities in 2024. The programs featured here focused on member services.

Bourbon County Farm Bureau Brings Back Family Fun Night

For a night full of old-fashioned family fun, Bourbon County (Kentucky) Farm Bureau brought back the community tradition of Family Fun Night at the county fair. This event allowed the organization to show how much they appreciate their members.

From minute-to-win-it games to a petting zoo, they had it all, thanks to Bourbon County community members who chipped in their time and to community organizations and partners who donated prizes and money for attendees.

Saginaw County Farm Bureau Encourages Cleaning Up Homesteads

Committed to being responsible stewards of the land, Saginaw County (Michigan) Farm Bureau hosted their third farm tire drive in June 2024. The drive encourages members to dispose of old tires from tractors, semis and other farm equipment in an environmentally friendly way. The county Farm Bureau partnered with Environmental Rubber Recycling, a company that provides mechanical assistance at the delivery site for easy and accessible drop off. Farmers could make reservations for time slots and within a two-day period, 43 Farm Bureau member families responsibly disposed of 49,944 pounds of tires.

The event not only helped Farm Bureau members keep their property in tip-top shape, it was an opportunity for the county to engage with members. One farmer even renewed his membership to participate.

Hardin Country Farm Bureau’s Membership Mashup Boosts Member Engagement

Noticing how challenging it was for members to get off the farm for multiple county Farm Bureau events, Hardin County (Ohio) Farm Bureau combined their county membership kick-off, annual meeting and policy dinner into the Membership Mashup event.

They found by doing so they had an overwhelming increase in attendance and quality. From a presentation addressing the evolving power grid to voting on policy, this event covered everything in one fell swoop. The event was so impactful it resulted in new members for the county.

County Activities of Excellence

Applications are now open for the 2025 County Activities of Excellence. Up to 24 counties will display their winning activities at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, in January. County award winners receive up to four free registrations to the Annual Convention (cost of travel and housing not included) and a $4,500 stipend to apply toward the cost of travel and exhibition.

Lilly Stewart is a summer 2025 intern in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Communications and Executive departments. She is a rising senior in agricultural business at the University of Wyoming.

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Traveling hundreds – or thousands – of miles to display and sell products at a farmers market is not something that’s done every day. But more than 30 farmers and ranchers did just that during National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 3-8) in our nation’s capital.

USDA hosted the Great American Farmers Market on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to showcase agriculture. Several farmer and rancher Farm Bureau members and state organizations participated.

The event, held daily from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. during the commemorative week, captured the attention of office workers heading for home, tourists and families out for a stroll. Offerings included farm-fresh produce and food, handcrafted goods and specialty items.

Noted Tyson Roberts, a Utah sweet corn, popcorn and garlic grower who participated, “This has been a great opportunity to talk with people here in the nation’s capital about food production. I make my living at farmers markets. I love interacting with people and sharing about where food comes from.”

Chase and Amber Cannady of Florida, owners of North Florida Elderberry, were excited to display their products at the market.

“We’re here to share our story and get the word out about the products we have available,” Chase said. This is their second year of selling elderberry products, primarily in Florida. They’re looking to expand the outlets that sell their products beyond the Sunshine State. The couple does all the work to produce each year’s elderberry crop themselves – everything from planting and pruning to hand harvesting.

Kansas Farm Bureau’s Shop Kansas Farms, which provides direct-to-consumer marketing online, also had a presence at the market. Vistors learned about how farmers in the state sell food that they produce to consumers through a website that is like an online shopping mall.

“It has been wonderful being here,” said Rick McNary, founder of Shop Kansas Farms. “We’ve had steady traffic at the booth with a lot of interest in Kansas-grown products.”

Interested in visiting a farmers market in your local area? USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service connects consumers to producers at over 8,600 farmers markets nationwide through the National Farmers Market Directory at www.usdalocalfoodportal.com.

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From field-to-food bank produce donations and venison harvests to meal packing events and Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance Agent Charitable Fund matching grants, Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) dedication to combating hunger in the state has earned them recognition by the American Farm Bureau Federation for the past several years.

Most recently, MFB took top honors for being the state to raise the most money – $364,800 – to help fight hunger and assist in other community service outreach in 2024 through Farm Bureau’s “Harvest for All” program. MFB’s funding was a significant portion of the total $658,606 raised nationwide.

Matching Grants

According to Michigan Young Farmer Committee member Ben Butcher, the Agent Charitable Fund (ACF) matching grants for county Farm Bureaus are key to increasing the effectiveness of local donations.

“That’s what really sets us apart,” he explained, noting that the grants double the impact of the money collected.

Butcher, who grows alfalfa grass hay in the center of Michigan’s mitten, serves as the committee liaison to the ACF.

From Field to Food Bank

Along with monetary donations, Michigan young (and not so young) farmers donate their excess produce directly to food banks. They also participate in food and meal packing events at food banks across the state.

In a win-win for both a local food bank and farmers struggling with the impacts of deer overpopulation, Kalamazoo County Farm Bureau’s first “Doe Derby” resulted in 71 deer being harvested by volunteer hunters, including Farm Bureau members, processed at cost and donated in the form of 82 boxes full of venison burgers to the Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes Ministries. And once again, monetary support from the ACF was clutch, allowing Farm Bureau to cover the cost of processing the deer.

Raising the Stakes while Raising Money, Donating Food and Volunteering

A little friendly competition goes a long way in spurring action across the state. Each year, the State Young Farmer Committee oversees a contest to recognize county Farm Bureaus at the district level for their Harvest for All efforts.

The district that contributes the most to fighting hunger, determined by pounds of food, volunteer hours, and dollars, is recognized at the state level and given $1,000 to distribute to hunger relief organizations of their choice.

District 11, which includes Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Otsego and Presque Isle County Farm Bureaus, won for their efforts and recently made a $1,000 donation to Good Samaritan Family Services in their region.

Members of District 11 logged more than 1,000 hours of volunteer time, donated nearly 24,000 pounds of commodities and food, and generously gave more than $106,000 in 2024.

Harvest for All

Now in its 23rd year, Harvest for All is spearheaded by members of Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program, but members of all ages from across the nation contribute to the effort.

In 2024, farm and ranch families from across the nation donated 34.8 million pounds of food and raised $658,606 to help fight hunger and assist in other community service outreach through the program. Combined, the monetary and food donations totaled the equivalent of 29 million meals.

Criteria for tracking Harvest for All donations includes dollars and pounds of food donated by state and county Farm Bureaus, as well as volunteer hours, reported from the grassroots up as part of the annual campaign.

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By Lilly Stewart

Through its annual County Activities of Excellence Awards, the American Farm Bureau Federation celebrates county Farm Bureaus for their unique, volunteer-driven programming. The counties featured here were recognized for their education and ag promotion programs.

Berrien County Farm Bureau Connects Farmers and Fair Food

Berrien County (Michigan) Farm Bureau created an interactive straw maze at the county fair for children to discover even delicious fair food comes from the farm. The straw maze included stations where kids learned about the commodities used in the foods. The county Farm Bureau also provided the children a recipe and checked off their visit to the maze with a punch card, which the children could turn in for a prize once it was full. More than 2,800 kids and numerous adults visited the county’s “No Farmer, No Fair Food” display.

Franklin County Farm Bureau Brings Consumers A Farm to Table Experience

Franklin County (Ohio) Farm Bureau partnered with a land grant university farm, hospitality students and meat science team to put together a locally sourced meal for urban and suburban consumers who normally have limited interactions with farming and ranching. Prior to the meal, attendees toured the university farm and participated in a small farmers market. The dinner raised money for the Franklin County Farm Bureau scholarship fund supporting students pursuing careers in agriculture.

Frederick County Farm Bureau Plotting the Farm-to-Stamp Trail

Frederick County (Virginia) Farm Bureau engaged the community in the Farm Explorer Passport Program to increase traffic to farmers markets supporting local farmers. Participants could pick up a free passport from various locations and received stamps for visiting 10 participating farmers markets. Once the passport was full, participants return the completed passport to the county’s visitor center for a special prize.

Habersham County Farm Bureau Hosts Virtual Summer on the Farm Camp

Habersham County (Georgia) Farm Bureau brought the farm to first through fourth grade via virtual tours to explore the realities of farm life. “Summer on the Farm” day camp was a week of learning about agricultural commodities. Each day focused on a different commodity including dairy, poultry, cotton and beef, all items students could relate back to their everyday lives.

Holmes County Farm Bureau Fundraises for Local Food Pantries

Holmes County (Ohio) Farm Bureau partnered with a local agritourism business to host Harvest for Hunger, an event to combat food insecurity in their community. The event offered a cookout-style meal and access to a petting zoo in exchange for donations. Through sponsorships, donations and a live auction, the county Farm Bureau raised $18,000 for four local food pantries.

Leflore County Farm Bureau Hosts Special Needs Livestock Show

To help individuals with special needs and disabilities get involved in the county livestock show, Leflore County (Oklahoma) Farm Bureau hosted the Special Needs Livestock Show. This gave 80 students an opportunity to participate in the show and gain experience with agriculture and livestock donated by local producers.

Livingston County Farm Bureau Promotes Ag Literacy at Library

Livingston County (Missouri) Farm Bureau promoted agriculture literacy in their community with a monthly evening county library event incorporating information and activities related to different agriculture products for children aged 4-10. Each month focused on a different topic, activity and farmer guest speaker.

Mason County Farm Bureau Ag Day Connects Young Students to Agriculture

Mason County (Texas) Farm Bureau hosts an Ag Day for kindergarten through second grade students to highlight some of the many forms of ag production in the United States. The county Farm Bureau offers multiple stations, from watching a farrier trim horses to seeing the inside of a semi tractor-trailer.

Pike County Farm Bureau Connects Individuals with Careers in Agriculture

Pike County (Ohio) Farm Bureau’s Ag Career Connections events have shared careers in agriculture with more than 900 people ranging from third graders to older adults. At the events, Pike County Farm Bureau introduces 10 career pathways and occupations included in each path, providing information about the levels of education required and the potential salary. 

Rogers County Farm Bureau Teaches the Roots of Food

Rogers County (Oklahoma) Farm Bureau hosted a creative contest to get kids learning about how their food is produced. The contest replicated the real-world process of feeding and caring for animals that will be used for consumption. Participants were taught where to buy animals, what to feed them and optimal weights for the contest. After feeding the animal for 120 days the animal was butchered and graded. From there, participants were scored in the animal’s rate of daily gain and carcass merit. Students loved the hands-on opportunity to be involved in production agriculture.

Titus County Farm Bureau Reads Ag Books to Kids

Titus County (Texas) Farm Bureau board members read “Barn at Night” by Michelle Houts to students at seven elementary schools in the county. The board members interacted with the students, teaching them about farms and agriculture. After reading the book, the county Farm Bureau donated them to the school library.

Woodford County Farm Bureau Ropes Youth into Agriculture with Rodeo

Over 2,500 attendees came to Woodford County (Kentucky) Farm Bureau’s first rodeo, teaching community members about the sport, increasing funds for philanthropic initiatives and member support, providing opportunities for kids to learn about ag and for the county Farm Bureau to grow its social media pages.

County Activities of Excellence

Applications are now open for the 2025 County Activities of Excellence. Up to 24 counties will display their winning activities at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, in January. County award winners receive up to four free registrations to the Annual Convention (cost of travel and housing not included) and a $4,500 stipend to apply toward the cost of travel and exhibition.

Lilly Stewart is a summer 2025 intern in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Communications and Executive departments. She is a rising senior in agricultural business at the University of Wyoming.

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The American Farm Bureau Federation recently received a Power of Associations Silver Award from the American Society of Association Executives, marking its third consecutive year of recognition by the organization.

ASAE honored AFBF for its Collegiate Farm Bureau Mini-Grant Program, which supports student chapters with $500 grants for initiatives such as recruitment, leadership development, community service, officer training, educational materials and conference participation.

The Power of Associations Awards celebrate associations that make a meaningful impact beyond their core missions. ASAE recognized AFBF for leveraging its resources to strengthen its more than 120 Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters across the U.S. — advancing the agricultural industry and improving lives in the process.

ASAE presented AFBF with a prestigious Summit Award for the Harvest for All Program in 2023 and a Silver Award for the Social Media Ambassador Program in 2024.

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By Lilly Stewart

Through its annual County Activities of Excellence Awards, the American Farm Bureau Federation celebrates county Farm Bureaus for their unique, volunteer-driven programming. The county featured here was recognized for their leadership development program.

The Lincoln County (Tennessee) Farm Bureau Student Advisory Board for high school students, initially launched as a four-month pilot program in 2024, holds meetings, participates in Farm Bureau events, learns about the organization and career opportunities in agriculture and more. The project has blossomed into an annual program and is beginning to yield young farmers and ranchers for the organization.

County Activities of Excellence

Applications are now open for the 2025 County Activities of Excellence. Up to 24 counties will display their winning activities at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, in January. County award winners receive up to four free registrations to the Annual Convention (cost of travel and housing not included) and a $4,500 stipend to apply toward the cost of travel and exhibition.

Lilly Stewart is a summer 2025 intern in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Communications and Executive departments. She is a rising senior in agricultural business at the University of Wyoming.

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“Earthworms make me happy,” Ryan Britt says as he turns over a handful of dark soil. “You see that?” He points to an earthworm before returning it safely to a field of cover crops. “It didn’t look like this 20 years ago.” Twenty years ago, Ryan and his dad set out to restore the health of the soil on their family farm with regenerative agriculture practices. It’s a journey that continues today.

Starting the Soil Health Journey

Ryan Britt knows that farming is a marathon, not a sprint. His family has been farming in north-central Missouri since 1865. Today, the rolling green hills of Britt Farms stretch out for miles. While the farm has changed and grown over the years, the family’s commitment to caring for the land has remained steady.

“Our farm has worked through the years to focus on regenerative agriculture,” Ryan says, noting there are a variety of buzzwords when it comes to farm practices, such as conservation or sustainability. “For us, it’s about more than sustainability,” he explains. “I can be sustained on bread and water alone, but I sure feel a lot better when I have some steak,” Ryan adds with a chuckle. “To improve and to grow, we need more nourishment. It’s the same with our farmland. We want to improve it for the next generation.”

Ryan knew from the time he was 6 years old that he wanted to be a farmer. Other than his time away at college, Ryan has been on his family’s farm his whole life. He credits his time at the University of Missouri as critical in learning new practices to bring back to the farm.

“I came back from college eager to try some things, and my dad, to his credit, was very open,” Ryan says. They began by experimenting with no-till. They knew it wasn’t going to be an easy undertaking, given the variety of soil types across their farm, which spreads over 5,000 acres in three counties. The soil across the farm ranges from tight to sandy to loose clay, and some of their soil is prone to natural erosion.

Climate and weather can also vary across the farm. A sunny day can shift to rain and thunderstorms a few miles up or down the road. “The weather in Missouri can change multiple times a day even,” Ryan explains pointing to the threatening spring clouds overhead, which have put their planting on hold for the day.

Farmers like Ryan face the uncertainties of weather every day, but they don’t shy away from a challenge. Ryan was eager to apply what he had learned in his studies and from his work with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in college to help his family farm become more resilient in the face of varying climate and soil types.

The Resilience of Regenerative Agriculture

Ryan and his dad soon found consistent success with the no-till system in the fields where they applied the new practice. A big test of their no-till fields came in 2012 when much of their farm was hit with a major drought. “It was the driest year we had ever seen,” Ryan recalls. Although their yields took a hit and they saw an overall loss, they still produced some corn on their no-till fields that year, even when neighboring farms didn’t see any yields. This proved to be a turning point when it came to conservation tillage at Britt Farms, and today, they are 100% no-till, in addition to a variety of other regenerative practices that work hand-in-hand to promote soil health on the farm.

But it’s not one practice alone that promotes healthy soil. Not long after the Britts had begun transitioning to no-till, Ryan learned about another regenerative practice: cover cropping. After joining his local Conservation District, Ryan had the opportunity to watch a soil health demonstration conducted by Ray Archuleta, a soil scientist and agronomist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Ryan and his dad decided to give it a try. They assessed their fields and adjusted their crop rotation to join a pilot project for planting cover crops. Although there was a learning curve with the new practice, it didn’t take long for them to see the benefits.

“I think what makes no-till really work well is the cover crops,” Ryan says, explaining how these practices work together to mitigate weather impacts on the farm. In drought years, the no-till fields that had been rotated with cover crops proved more resilient, producing roughly 80% of a crop in the challenging conditions. Only a few years after the 2012 drought, Britt Farms had transitioned to 100% cover crops on their fields.

The Role of Cattle in Regenerative Agriculture

In addition to growing corn, soybeans, wheat and hay, Ryan Britt also raises cattle. Ryan believes that the 1,300 cattle they raise — and graze — have played a key role in his farm’s regenerative practices. “Rotational grazing, that’s how we can do no-till and cover crops,” he says. “We've seen larger gains in our soil health journey by integrating livestock, letting them graze the land, and bring the nutrients back to the land.”

Anecdotally, Ryan has seen the highest yields from the fields where his cattle have grazed. Scientific research backs up his observations. As cattle eat grass pulling it up by the roots, root growth is stimulated, thus creating a healthier root system below the ground. Researchers have found that healthy, rotationally grazed pastures are better at sequestering carbon than land left untouched. In addition to feeding on grass, cattle are then spreading nutrients naturally to further promote soil health. “On our farm’s regenerative journey, livestock are really making the biggest gains,” Ryan says.

Critical Tools for Regenerative Agriculture

When it comes to regenerative agriculture, Ryan Britt believes it’s important for farmers to have every tool available to protect crop and soil health. Walking by an alfalfa field, he stops and points to where the leaves are turning brown. “You see that? We’ve got bugs chewing up our alfalfa.” Ryan explains that since it’s too wet to harvest that week, he needs to spray the fields with an insecticide or risk losing the whole crop.

“Every acre on every farm is different,” Ryan says. “We need to have those tools — whether it’s a pesticide, insecticide or herbicide — available to make sure that we're not going backwards.” Without pesticides, Ryan would have to return to tilling his soil, turning it over with every crop, likely losing topsoil — and those beloved earthworms.

As committed as Ryan Britt is to soil health, his family’s health is his top priority. That’s why he relies on scientific studies and research, such as from land-grant universities, to ensure the safety of the products and practices he is using on his farm. Ryan and his wife built their home on the farm, and he can see his mom and dad’s house, where he grew up, from his front porch. Their family’s lake house sits on the edge of their farm, overlooking the Thomas Hill Reservoir.

Clean Water and Healthy Soil on and off the Farm

For the Britt family, the farm is their livelihood and their life. The health and safety of his family — the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat — is at the forefront of Ryan’s mind with every decision he makes on the farm. “The nutrients and pesticides we use on our farm are very important to us. It’s important for me because my family is consuming the same food we are growing and raising here.”

Keeping the water on and around the farm clean is a top priority for Britt Farms. Fencing around the farm ensures the cattle stay out of nearby streams when they are grazing. When the cattle enter the feedlot on the farm, animal health and water quality continue to be top priorities. The feedlot is designed to prevent any runoff, while keeping the animals safe and comfortable.

When it comes to keeping nutrients in the fields and out of nearby waterways, Ryan has added features to provide extra layers of protection, such as terracing, which involves grading the land to slow runoff on sloping fields, and field buffers, which are achieved by planting vegetation along waterways.

Always Looking to Do Better by the Land

Not every acre on Britt Farms is in production. Ryan has set aside some acres in the Conservation Reserve Program to grow wild grasses and wildflowers, providing a pollinator habitat on the farm. The farm also has a wetland set aside as a wildlife habitat. Ryan says these practices are all part of their approach to “give the land the opportunity to maintain itself and improve.” He says ultimately, this is all about “setting that land up so that the next generation can also be successful.”

To Ryan Britt, this effort is never done. Regenerative agriculture, to him, is about always finding ways to improve and do better. He takes caring for every acre of his land seriously.

“There can be a misconception that regenerative agriculture doesn’t fit a big operation, but I don't think that's fair,” Ryan observes. “The average family farm is a little bigger than it used to be, but we have the tools and technology to meet the growing needs of our country and world.”

With each crop and each season, Ryan Britt is always looking for ways to do better for the land, for his family and for families across the country. “I think it’s a farmer’s natural instinct to want to do better,” Ryan says. “We always are looking for how we can improve the land, leaving it better than we found it for the next generation.”

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