Wow, we blew right through spring and are bearing down on summer, and in the Farm Bureau world that means annual meeting time is right around the corner. Annual meetings are vital in the life of our organization and something many members look forward to. It is a time to conduct the business of our organization but also a time to fellowship with our neighbors and friends.
Just like our policy positions, the decision on each county’s annual meeting is left up to the grassroots level and your local board is deciding what your meeting will look like this year.
Some may decide the risk is low in their county and continue with their traditional annual meeting, and that is fine. However, many of our local boards will decide a different mode of annual meeting needs to happen this year. It may be a business only meeting, meant to lessen the time we spend together and therefore lower the risk of passing a virus on. I suppose some may take the route of a ”virtual” annual meeting utilizing the technology available to us.
That is the lowest risk option and may be the best in some areas.
No matter what type of meeting your county decides to have, you can rest assured the board did it with the health and wellbeing of their fellow farmers and ranchers in mind. It may not look like the annual meeting we are used to, and that may be a cause of disappointment. Hopefully it will be a one-time measure. You can rest assured that the decision was made after a great deal of thought and planning with the best interest of everyone in mind.
On a similar note, continue to check in with us on news about Kansas Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting. That seems like a long way down the road, but I am sure that December will be here before we know it. Just know your state staff and board members are also watching the situation closely and developing alternate plans with the hope they’re not needed. I promise you when a decision is made, it will be just like the one at your county level and have the best interest and safety of all members in mind.
We have never done anything like this before because we have never seen anything like this before. Patience is a virtue, and we want to make sure that all members are safe and healthy. Hang in there, take the proper precautions and we will all make it through this healthy and happy and ready for annual meetings in 2021. It will be worth it.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service. This week’s author is Glenn Brunkow, Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher. Contact kfb.org.
