Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy development is the strength of the Federation. Wyoming farmers and ranchers will grow the policy to the next grassroots level, the state level, at the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) 100th Annual Meeting Nov. 13-15, 2019 in Laramie. The Centennial Celebration will be one you don’t want to miss as we will be “Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future.” Voting delegates from the county Farm Bureaus participate in policy discussion, elect officers and ultimately chart the course for the coming year. Folks also enjoy networking with farmers and ranchers, seeing old friends and making new friends. “Celebrating 100 years of grassroots policy development is a significant milestone,” said Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation President Todd Fornstrom. “It will be exciting to celebrate our centennial by honoring our past while we continue to grow our future through our policy development work.” American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall will address the members during the Centennial Banquet on Thursday evening, Nov. 14. AFBF Vice President of Public Affairs Paul Schlegel will also speak during the annual meeting about the organization’s legislative work on the national level. Contact your county Farm Bureau president today to learn more about attending the state annual meeting. Here is a snapshot of the meeting schedule. YF&R Collegiate Discussion Meet—Tuesday The WyFB Young Farmer & Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet competition will be Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. Committee Work--Wednesday The annual meeting begins Wednesday, Nov. 13 with registration at 11 a.m. and lunch at noon. WyFB’s four standing committees meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss resolutions pertaining to their areas and make recommendations. The committees include: Natural and Environmental Resources (NER), State Government Affairs (SGA), Agriculture Tax and General Issues. The committees are made-up of one representative per county (county committee chairs) and the state chair and state vice-chair. Following the committee meetings Wednesday evening will be a Centennial Fun night. The YF&R Committee is hosting a game night for members and WyFB will host a memory sharing event. Thursday’s Activities A county president’s breakfast meeting will begin Thursday’s events. The general and business sessions of the Wyoming Farm Bureau begin Thursday morning. Members will hear reports from Wyoming Farm Bureau’s president and executive vice president as well as the C.E.O. of Mountain West Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. Voting delegates will begin discussing the resolutions and determining what is in the best interest of farmers and ranchers. After a day of business work, Thursday evening’s banquet is a time to celebrate our farmers and ranchers. AFBF President Zippy Duvall will deliver a message to members and the Distinguished Service and Farm Bureau Leadership Awards will be presented. The banquet entertainment will be a concert/dance with Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band. The show is private for registered annual meeting attendees only. Friday’s Activities The final round of the WyFB YF&R Discussion Meet starts the day on Friday. Resolutions consideration, elections, and a WyFB YF&R report follow. Foundation Fundraiser Again this year, members are invited to donate to the Wyoming Farm Bureau Foundation. Donors will have their names placed in a drawing for a Don Pavack 100th Anniversary engraved carving knife. See page 5 for details. The Wyoming Farm Bureau Foundation supports educational programs for agriculture producers and legal issues which impact Wyoming agriculture. “Harvest for All” Fundraiser The WyFB YF&R sixteenth annual “Harvest for All” fund drive will take place at annual meeting. Monetary donations (we are unable to accept food donations) will benefit the Wyoming Food Bank, a credentialed Feeding America Harvest affiliate serving Wyoming communities. Please bring your monetary donations to the registration desk at annual meeting. This year’s Harvest for All raffle will be for a 100th anniversary quilt featuring Farm Bureau member brands. The quilt is hand-made and donated by WyFB YF&R Vice Chair Chelsea Baars. Make sure to buy your playing card raffle chances from any WyFB YF&R Committee member during annual meeting. Registration Pre-registration is requested by Oct. 22, 2019. Reservations made after this date will be honored based on availability. Members or county presidents may submit registrations to Julie Johnson-Doyle at jdoyle@wyfb.org or 307-721-7723. Contact your county Farm Bureau president if you plan to attend. Phone numbers are available at www.wyfb.org or by calling 800.442.8325. Hotel reservations may be made at the Hilton Garden Inn by calling 307.745.5500. Reference Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation for the $114 or $132 (plus taxes/fees) room rate. Hotel reservations must be made by Oct. 29, 2019, to enjoy the discounted room rate. The meeting agenda will be printed in the November issue of Wyoming Agriculture. The agenda will also be available as the meeting gets closer at www.wyfb.org. “It is so important to have members attend these meetings and have their voice heard on agricultural issues,” Fornstrom concluded. “Our policy development process provides the message for our voice.”