LARAMIE, WY--“Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future” is the theme of the 100th Annual Meeting of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB). The meeting will be Nov. 13-15, 2019 in Laramie at the Hilton Garden Inn/UW Conference Center. “We are about to celebrate a century of improving our way of life in farming and ranching by way of policy development,” WyFB President Todd Fornstrom said. “Annual meeting is the culmination of a year’s worth of grassroots efforts. We as farmers and ranchers harvest our crops and livestock each year. We must also harvest the resolution process to guide our policy work each year.”2019 Tentative Annual Meeting Agenda Policy development Policy discussions are the main purpose of the meeting and guide the work of the Federation. According to Brett Moline, WyFB Director of Public and Governmental Affairs, the proposed resolutions WyFB members will be working on are very broad. “The resolutions range from supporting selected fee increases to not supporting fuel tax increases to enhancing property rights,” Moline said. “There is also a resolution for consideration to protect the right to bear arms.” Farm Bureau’s grassroots strength begins at the county level when members discuss issues important to agriculture. Resolutions must be passed at both the county and district level before being considered by voting delegates at the state annual meeting. “The amount of time Farm Bureau members devote to policy development at the county, state and national levels is a testimony to how important it is to have a voice in the process,” said Ken Hamilton, WyFB Executive Vice President. “The strength of our organization starts at the grassroots level and that has been the case for 100 years. We are looking forward to our 100th annual meeting where we will celebrate a century of joining together at the state annual meeting to develop policy, but perhaps just as important is the time farmers and ranchers can spend visiting about agriculture.” Centennial Events A Centennial Fun Night will be among the many ways to celebrate Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s Centennial. The Young Farmer & Rancher Committee is hosting a game night with a cornhole tournament and WyFB is hosting a memory sharing night with emcee WyFB President Todd Fornstrom. AFBF President Featured Speaker at Banquet American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall will address Farm Bureau members at the Centennial Banquet on Thursday evening, Nov. 14. “These are difficult times for many farmers and ranchers, but I believe we are on the precipice of a new age of growth in agricultural productivity and demand for what we produce,” said President Duvall. “I look forward to sharing my thoughts and hearing from Farm Bureau members about this unique time in American agriculture.” “Farm Bureau is united, our members are engaged, and we are telling the farmer’s story. Farm Bureau has the vision, mission and resources to help shape the future of agriculture,” President Duvall concluded. 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. Events and speakers University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dean Barbara Rasco will provide a welcome Thursday morning. AFBF Vice President of Public Affairs Paul Schlegel will speak Thursday morning about the organization’s legislative work on the national level. Elections, awards, Young Farmer and Rancher events, a WyFB Foundation Knife Raffle and a “Harvest for All” fund drive round out the meeting events. Agenda The agenda is available at www.wyfb.org. Pre-registration has closed. Reservations will be honored based on availability. Contact Julie Johnson-Doyle at jdoyle@wyfb.org or 307-721-7723.

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. The primary goals of the federation are to protect private property rights and help members achieve an equitable return on their investment. --FB END--