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One of the best ways to get your voice heard throughout the local, state and national levels of Farm Bureau is to participate in an advisory council. So say two participants in the program – one who is a relative newcomer to Farm Bureau and another who has made her local advisory council a part of everyday life for nearly 35 years.

Kaye St. Clair of Hocking County started the councils she participates in this year. June Harrison of Seneca County has been a member of the Jackson Go-fers for more than 35 years.

Each woman’s experiences are unique, but their support for and views of the advisory council program are similar.

"It (the council) certainly gives us a voice, more so than if we didn’t do it as a group," Harrison said.

"It’s something you can feel down in your heart that you’re a part of," St. Clair said.

The OFBF Advisory Council program calls for a group to gather regularly to discuss an issue that is addressed in a guide that is sent to council leaders throughout the state, according to Chip Nelson, OFBF advisory council director. Topics this year have ranged from a national animal identification system to Ohio’s line fence law to international trade.

Once a council discusses the topic, members answer a series of questions, complete the group’s minutes and mail them to Nelson, who compiles information so it can be used in news releases and Buckeye Farm News articles. There are nearly 7,000 members participating in about 630 councils throughout Ohio.

Harrison and her husband, Frank, were two of the original members of their council when it started more than 35 years ago. They’ve met faithfully the first Friday of the month, with a few nights postponed to accommodate holidays and such, ever since.

"Sure, it’s a social outlet, but we still have the guide every meeting. We answer all the questions and send in our minutes, and we give our ideas for things we’d like to see done," Harrison said.

"We’re a very active and concerned council," she said, adding that she feels they have a voice in Farm Bureau and in government. "And we have a lot of fun." When asked about participation by younger members, she said, "Young people nowadays have so much to do; it’s so hard to find a night when everyone can make it." But then again, maybe participation in an advisory council is important enough "that they should make time for it."

For Hocking County’s St. Clair, marriage introduced her to Farm Bureau. After she and her husband, Earl, married about nine years ago, he invited her to attend a board meeting with him "because they needed a secretary," she said. She’s held that office ever since.

Then the county president started talking about committees, and advisory councils grabbed her interest. So she and some local relatives decided to start a council. "We’re all farmers, and when we get together this is some of what we talk about anyway."

Then she realized she and her co-workers were spending about an hour a day during lunch talking about local issues and she thought that group would make a good council.

Some of her co-workers said they didn’t think they’d be able to contribute because they lived in the city. "I just told them ‘Even though you live in the city, your opinion is very important.’ And I got to introduce them to Farm Bureau."

Her third council grew out of a card club a local member was meeting with. "I’m working on my fourth one," she said.

Caption: Each year, many advisory councils participate in the OFBF Camp-In. This year, more than 150 people visited Brown County. One tour stop was at Ratliff Shrimp Farm. Here, Betty Ratliff shows campers the product of their work.