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Two new means of communication are being employed to strengthen the partnership between OFBF and county Farm Bureaus. One new practice is to include selected county presidents in meetings of the state board of trustees. A second project uses video newsletters to update county boards on key issues and activities.

"Members have told us they expect better communications, and a big part of that is making sure our internal communications are as good as they can be," said Kurt Ely, OFBF’s vice president of information, education and community service.

The November board meeting was the first at which one president from each of OFBF’s three regions was invited to attend. Lorain County President Al DiVencenzo, Hocking County President Jo Ann Murtha and Stark County President Reed Varian participated in committee meetings, full board discussions and other aspects of the two-day session in Columbus.

Varian was impressed as he witnessed the board debate public policy, assess Farm Bureau programming and address a wide range of other topics. "The length and breadth of what these folks have to grasp in order to represent us is pretty amazing," he said. Varian said the entire experience was worthwhile. "They do things right, it’s all well thought out. The professionalism is pretty high."

Murtha agreed, and said she was "very impressed at the amount of information presented and how well versed everybody was on the topics." She liked that the state board is sharing that insight with county leaders. "This is a good idea. Before, I’d get the minutes of the (state trustees) meeting, but now I understand more of the background," she said. And she believes the state trustees will benefit from another chance to interact with county leaders. "It will give them time to become more familiar with the presidents and listen in depth to their concerns."

DiVencenzo wants to take what he saw at the board meeting and put it to work back home. "Our county needs to step up our communication with the state, take their information and get it back to our county members."

To help county leaders become more immersed in the issues, OFBF has begun distributing monthly video newsletters to all 87 county Farm Bureau boards. The five- to seven-minute reports include OFBF staff members who talk about timely and important issues and activities. "This is a great combination of technology and personal contact," according to Ely. "It’s an efficient way to share important information directly from staff to our county boards."

Caption: County presidents Jo Ann Murtha and Al DiVencenzo (center) talk with OFBF officers Sparky Weilnau and Bob Peterson during last month’s state trustees meeting.