Stay Informed

Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron reflected on the challenges of 2022 during his annual address, delivered during INFB’s annual convention.

The convention was held Dec. 15-17 in Indianapolis with more than 850 members attending.

Kron’s address took the form of a conversation with Gerry Dick, veteran broadcaster and host of Inside INdiana Business. The two discussed some of the most important issues facing agriculture today, starting with the ag economy.

“It was a challenging planting season for so many reasons,” explained Kron, who just started his eighth year as INFB president. “It cost more to put a crop in the ground this year than most of us have seen in our lifetimes.

“And grain farmers aren’t the only ones facing challenges. Disease pressure, market volatility, rising feed costs and inflation are on the minds of the livestock and poultry sectors too,” he added.

Kron provided insight into some of the factors causing input price increases, the first being the supply chain. There are several reasons for an impacted supply chain, including lingering effects of COVID-19, last year’s Hurricane Ida that damaged fertilizer plants on the Gulf Coast, and the war in Ukraine. He also noted the lack of supplies affected farmers’ ability to get equipment and parts in a timely manner.

Kron was cautious in his outlook for 2023. “The supply chain will still be impacted, meaning input prices will remain high, but crop prices will likely come down, causing margins to be tight.”

A summary of some of the other convention highlights follows.

Election

The delegate body reelected INFB Vice President Kendell Culp of Jasper County. Culp ran against Ryan Martin from Kosciusko County in the election that took place on Dec. 17.

Culp was first elected vice president in 2015 to fill Randy Kron’s position upon his election to president and was elected for his first full, three-year term in 2016. As a result of Saturday’s election, Culp will now serve his third three-year term.

County Activities of Excellence (CAE) program

Four counties earned a CAE award, which is designed to celebrate innovative, action-oriented programs developed by county Farm Bureaus. The CAE awards may be granted in one of five categories: create and promote a positive image of agriculture – “tell our story”; create a positive member experience; grow membership in a consistent and sustainable way; continue successful advocacy efforts at all levels; and improve awareness of INFB as a valuable resource. The top county in each category received a cash award of $2,000 to be applied toward improving a program in that county, and INFB will host a dinner for each winning county board. The winners are:

• Tell Our Story – Jay County for a barbecue contest held at the Jay County Fair in place of their traditional annual meeting.
• Positive Member Experience – Fayette County for a grain safety training program held during their drive-through annual meeting.
• Successful Advocacy – Allen County for using the policy development process to surface issues from their members and then connecting with county commissioners, council members, solar companies and concerned landowners to build relationships.
• Valuable Resource – Rush County, which has established itself as a community leader by purposefully collaborating with county commissioners, council members, state representatives, the mayor and town boards.

YF&AP Discussion Meet

Rachel Hyde of Hamilton County is the winner of the 2022 Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Discussion Meet and now advances to the national Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet, to be held this month during the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As the winner of the Discussion Meet, she receives a $4,000 cash prize from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and expenses paid to the national convention. The three runners-up, who each receive $1,000 from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, were Corina Brant of Tippecanoe County, Veronica Bullock of Decatur County and Seth Harden of Marion County.

Giving back

• AgELECT – More than $30,000 in donations were collected for AgELECT, INFB’s state political action committee. Most of the money was raised by means of a fundraising breakfast featuring Sonny Perdue, former U.S. secretary of agriculture, former governor of Georgia and current chancellor of the University System of Georgia.
• Million Meal Movement – Twenty-six members participated in this first-time event, which benefited the Million Meal Movement, a program that packs shelf-stable, nutritious meals and distributes them to food banks and food pantries throughout Indiana. The volunteers packed 1,500 meals in an hour.
• Toys for Tots – Held Dec. 15 and 16, the campaign collected toys as well as $755 in monetary donations to benefit Toys for Tots of Central Indiana.

Ag in the Classroom

Pam Jones of Pulaski County was named the 2022 AITC Volunteer of the Year.

Marilyn Doan, a 4th grade teacher at East Washington Elementary School in Washington County, won the Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture award, a new award for INFB.

INFB Book of the Year

The 2023 Indiana Farm Bureau Book of the Year is I LOVE Strawberries!, written by Hoosier native Shannon Anderson with illustrations by Jaclyn Sinquett.

The annual Book of the Year is a part of INFB’s Agriculture in the Classroom program. Since its inception in 2017, INFB and county Farm Bureaus have distributed more than 9,000 books to schools, teachers and libraries.