LARAMIE—Elden and Tena Baldwin, Goshen County ranchers, were awarded the 2012 Farm Bureau Leadership Award at the 93rd annual meeting of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB).  Presented Nov. 16, the award is given to those who have gone above and beyond in their agricultural leadership service in the organization.

            “Thirty-four years ago, Elden and Tena Baldwin were married and they carried on a family tradition by joining Farm Bureau as a couple,” Wyoming Farm Bureau President Perry Livingston said.  “They have been county and state Farm Bureau leaders ever since.”

             The Baldwins were married in 1978 and attended their first Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in 1979 when Tena was pregnant with their daughter, Erin.  They have only missed one annual meeting since 1979. 

            Elden and Tena are life members of the organization.  “We decided to become life members when we were young, “Tena explained.  “Although it was tough to pay that much forward at the time, you put your money where your heart is at and we will always be in Farm Bureau.”

           Elden became active on the county board in 1980 and has continuously served on the county board since that time.  He has held just about every office on the county level including county president twelve terms.  He served as the Southeast District Director on the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors; a position he held for 17 years.  He has returned to the leadership of the Goshen County Farm Bureau as president.

            Tena has held many different offices on the county board since joining the board many years ago.  She also served as the WyFB Agriculture Tax State Committee Chair for four years.

           “We truly appreciate being honored with the Farm Bureau Leadership Award,” Tena and Elden said.  “We are humbled to be recognized with so many great leaders in the Farm Bureau.”

           “Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization where your opinion really matters and we appreciate that the Farm Bureau organization does not waiver from its policy,” They said.  “It is such a great honor to be recognized on the state level from the largest agriculture organization in the state.” 

           The Baldwins have two children and three grandchildren.  Their daughter, Erin Hinton, is a teacher in Sheridan and her husband, Jeff, is a teacher in Buffalo.  They have three children:  Grace, 6; Faith, 3; and Noah, 1.  Tena and Elden’s son, Jason, works on the family ranch and is active in Farm Bureau alongside his parents.  Jason just completed a two-year term as a member of the WyFB State Young Farmer & Rancher Committee.

          “The Baldwins have been rock solid in their support of Farm Bureau.  They have been totally dedicated to preserving private property rights,” Goshen County Farm Bureau member Hugh Hageman said.  “You can always count on them being on the right side of every issue.”

          “Elden and Tena are dedicated to the purposes and people of Farm Bureau,” Barb Erickson (Elden’s sister) wrote.  “Elden rises to whatever challenge or responsibility he is given with leadership, loyalty, and genuine care for people and the agriculture way of life. Tena is always by his side with her valuable support and spark. They look forward every year to attending the annual meeting with thankfulness and an expectation of contributing and gaining something valuable.”

            “The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is proud to honor Elden and Tena Baldwin with the 2012 Leadership Award honoring their years of service,” Livingston concluded.  “We thank Elden and Tena for their dedicated leadership on behalf of the Goshen County Farm Bureau, the Southeast District Farm Bureau, the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation and the state’s agriculture industry.”

            The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization.  Members work together from the grassroots to develop agricultural policy, programs and services to enhance the rural lifestyle of Wyoming.  On the web, www.wyfb.org.