Wyoming Farm Bureau 94th Annual Meeting scheduled for Nov. 14-16 in Laramie
Laramie – The 94th annual meeting of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie on Nov. 14-16, 2013. The event will be preceded by the WyFB Foundation Symposium.
Featured speakers at the annual meeting include United States Representative Cynthia Lummis, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Senior Counsel for Public Policy Danielle Quist, Paul Schlegel, AFBF director of environment and energy policy, and Kevin Spafford, founder of Legacy by Design and eLegacy Connect.
Plan Success Symposium
The Wyoming Farm Bureau Foundation Symposium 2013 will feature Kevin Spafford, Founder of Legacy by Design, LLC and eLegacyConnect, who will present “Five Keys to Effective Succession Planning.”
Spafford involves audiences in experiences that encourage action and generate results. His speaking style is highly interactive, which is both entertaining and educational.
Spafford has spearheaded initiatives over the last 10 years to improve the way farmers, ranchers and agribusiness owners engage in the succession planning process. He inspires with real life insight, practical solutions and an upbeat approach that participants find relevant and motivating.
The symposium is free and open to the public. It will be at the Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie on Nov. 14 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Annual meeting speakers
United States Representative Cynthia Lummis is scheduled to speak to Farm Bureau members at 9 a.m. on Nov. 16.
“With all of the issues going on in Congress, hearing from Congresswoman Lummis will provide our delegates with some insight into the national political process,” WyFB President Perry Livingston says.
AFBF Senior Counsel for Public Policy Danielle Quist will give an “AFBF Legal Advocacy Update” at 10 a.m. on Nov. 15.
“Federal Issues Affecting Wyoming and the West” will be presented on Nov. 15 at 2:15 p.m. by Paul Schlegel, AFBF director of environment and energy policy.
Quist and Schlegel both work on agriculture issues impacting the West, such as endangered species, federal lands, water issues and wild horses.
“Hearing what is going on in Washington, D.C. from these AFBF staff members will certainly be helpful to our members,” said Ken Hamilton, WyFB executive vice president.
Grassroots action at work
In addition to hearing from speakers, Farm Bureau member voting delegates will discuss policies ranging from Common Core Standards to Wyoming’s fencing laws. According to Livingston, the Farm Bureau Annual Meeting’s most important function is to provide direction for our elected leaders and staff on policy issues.
Farm Bureau’s policy development process begins at the local level with members talking about issues affecting agriculture. Resolutions that pass the county level, proceed to district for consideration. Those resolutions that pass the district level proceed to the state level where they are discussed and considered by voting delegates from around the state.
“The work done at this meeting guides our organization over the coming year,” Livingston concluded.
Registration
Pre-registration is requested and strongly encouraged by Nov. 4 but not required for attendance. Reservations made after this date will be honored based on availability.
Online registration is available at wyfb.org or by contacting Dominique Giroux at dgiroux@wyfb.org or 800-442-8325. The agenda is at wyfb.org.
The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. The primary goals of the organization are to protect private property rights and help members achieve an equitable return on their investment. This article is courtesy of Kerin Clark at Wyoming Farm Bureau.
