Article

When Wyandot County Farm Bureau was looking for someone to head up its membership campaign last year, Alicia Weaver seemed an unlikely choice.

She had a job as a health restoration coach and three children under the age of 10. She and her husband, Kodie, lived on a grain farm south of the village of Kirby in Wyandot County and owned a farm equipment company in Upper Sandusky. Her plate was full.

Still, Weaver accepted the challenge. She not only beefed up the membership, but became one of seven membership chairs statewide honored with the Murray Lincoln Award, given to any Ohio Farm Bureau member who signs 50 or more members in a year.

The award honors Murray Lincoln, who helped found the Farm Bureau in 1919 and was its first executive vice president.

“I’m the board secretary and I know a lot of people in the community,” said Weaver, who joined Farm Bureau when she married Kodie in 2015. “They asked me to head up the campaign and asked me to hit a goal, so I started calling people and telling them all the things that membership gives them.”

Although Weaver, who grew up in Hardin County, wasn’t raised on a farm, both sets of grandparents farmed, and her husband had farmed his entire life. So, she found it easy to promote Farm Bureau.

She worked with local businesses on specific sponsorship and membership opportunities.

One new business to the area, a financial advisor, was eager to get involved with local agriculture, so the business owner bought 10 memberships and gifted some of them to FFA members.

Weaver also emphasized that small businesses who joined could take advantage of Ohio Farm Bureau’s Health Benefits Plan.

“It’s a major need right now, (small businesses) finding health insurance at a reasonable cost,” she said. Farmer health, especially farmer mental health, is something that Weaver is very passionate about.

Weaver also encouraged potential members to take advantage of a grassroots Farm Bureau newsletter sent by email quarterly and by mail annually to members in five counties. Any business that bought five memberships could advertise free in the newsletter.

Her hard work paid off.

By the time the yearlong 2025 membership drive ended March 31, 2025, Weaver had added 55 new members to Wyandot County Farm Bureau.

Connie Ward, regional supervisor for Ohio Farm Bureau, said membership recruitment is year-round for OFBF staff, but members are asked to concentrate on recruitment each year from January through March.

“It’s important that we have members engaged who are able to bring forth our policies,” Ward said. “We want to have a robust group of members who can have a strong rural voice. We were founded to bring value to our members and that’s what we’re still doing today.”

Talking to members is an important way to know what they need and want, she said, and the best way to recruit new members is to just start a conversation with them. 

“You think about what the Farm Bureau has to offer and talk about what might impact them the most,” Ward said. “Do they want to support laws that are friendly to farmers? Do they have a social need? Do they need health coverage? It’s an opportunity to join us in giving agriculture a brighter future.”

Ward noted that every Farm Bureau member who recruits a new member helps the
organization thrive.

“It’s a blessed situation when we have volunteers who want to give others the Farm Bureau experience,” she said.

Key Points

• Weaver leveraged her established connections as an active county Farm Bureau board member to contact potential new members.
• Membership was promoted in many ways, from highlighting Ohio Farm Bureau Health Care Solutions, to advocacy and networking.
• Membership recruitment is year-round, but it is a specific focus January-March with a goal of engaging members to influence policy and strengthen rural voice.

What’s Next

Want to be involved in bringing members into your county Farm Bureau? Visit
ofb.ag/counties.