County Farm Bureau honored at state, national levels
NORWICH – The Chenango County Farm Bureau brought home the silver and the gold from Albany earlier this month, and they anticipate receiving their eleventh national award in San Antonio this January.
These aren’t the first awards the local organization has received.
“We’ve won more national awards than any other farm bureau in the country,” said CCFB President Bradd Vickers.
In recognition of their continued commitment to local agriculture, the county level organization was awarded a total of six Silver Key Awards at the New York Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, held Dec. 9 to 11 in Albany.
The awards are given annually to the county organizations which have “exhibited excellence” in a number of categories. A total of 43 were presented this year.
The CCFB was recognized in the areas of local policy implementation, state and national policy implementation, information and public relations, agricultural education and promotion, and leadership development and membership.
Vickers himself received the Distinguished President Award during the event.
Having received top honors in those seven categories, as well as exceeding their membership quota, qualified the CCFB to compete for the state organization’s top honor, a Gold Key Award.
Chenango County was one of four counties that received the award this year. The farm bureaus in Chemung, Genesee and Ontario counties were also recognized.
While receipt of the prestigious awards is indeed an honor, it is not the goal of their work, said Vickers.
“When we start out, we aren’t looking to win awards,” he said. “We’re looking to provide services and information for our members.”
“We’re member driven,” the farm advocate added. The CCFB funds its activities by membership dues and fundraising. It receives no federal or state funding.
According to Vickers, agriculture is the largest industry in the county. This, combined with the efforts of Vickers and his wife Rainy, who heads the organization’s Promotions and Education Committee, means the CCFB has a very strong membership. And it continues to grow.
The county organization exceeded this year’s membership quota of 462 by more than 50 members. There are currently 512 local members of CCFB, which means the county is competing against larger, wealthier districts like Broome, Otsego, Oswego, Lewis and Jefferson Counties.
This was the first year that membership in Chenango County exceeded that of neighboring Broome, a fact of which Vickers is particularly proud, as the first Farm Bureau was started in that county in 1911.
Recognition of the local Farm Bureau’s efforts don’t stop there. The Vickers will travel to San Antonio next month for the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. They have already been notified they will receive a County Achievement Award at the event. They will be one of only 15 counties chosen for the honor, out of the 2,852 county organizations across the United States.
“Competition is pretty hefty,” said Rainy Collins-Vickers, who files all of the award paperwork at both the state and the national level.
This award will be the eleventh the CCFB has received from the national organization in her 14 years as promotion and education chair.
For information no programs and services offered by the Chenango County Farm Bureau, stop by their office at 6083 State Highway 12N in Norwich, visit them online at www.ccfbny.org or call 334-6061.
These aren’t the first awards the local organization has received.
“We’ve won more national awards than any other farm bureau in the country,” said CCFB President Bradd Vickers.
In recognition of their continued commitment to local agriculture, the county level organization was awarded a total of six Silver Key Awards at the New York Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, held Dec. 9 to 11 in Albany.
The awards are given annually to the county organizations which have “exhibited excellence” in a number of categories. A total of 43 were presented this year.
The CCFB was recognized in the areas of local policy implementation, state and national policy implementation, information and public relations, agricultural education and promotion, and leadership development and membership.
Vickers himself received the Distinguished President Award during the event.
Having received top honors in those seven categories, as well as exceeding their membership quota, qualified the CCFB to compete for the state organization’s top honor, a Gold Key Award.
Chenango County was one of four counties that received the award this year. The farm bureaus in Chemung, Genesee and Ontario counties were also recognized.
While receipt of the prestigious awards is indeed an honor, it is not the goal of their work, said Vickers.
“When we start out, we aren’t looking to win awards,” he said. “We’re looking to provide services and information for our members.”
“We’re member driven,” the farm advocate added. The CCFB funds its activities by membership dues and fundraising. It receives no federal or state funding.
According to Vickers, agriculture is the largest industry in the county. This, combined with the efforts of Vickers and his wife Rainy, who heads the organization’s Promotions and Education Committee, means the CCFB has a very strong membership. And it continues to grow.
The county organization exceeded this year’s membership quota of 462 by more than 50 members. There are currently 512 local members of CCFB, which means the county is competing against larger, wealthier districts like Broome, Otsego, Oswego, Lewis and Jefferson Counties.
This was the first year that membership in Chenango County exceeded that of neighboring Broome, a fact of which Vickers is particularly proud, as the first Farm Bureau was started in that county in 1911.
Recognition of the local Farm Bureau’s efforts don’t stop there. The Vickers will travel to San Antonio next month for the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. They have already been notified they will receive a County Achievement Award at the event. They will be one of only 15 counties chosen for the honor, out of the 2,852 county organizations across the United States.
“Competition is pretty hefty,” said Rainy Collins-Vickers, who files all of the award paperwork at both the state and the national level.
This award will be the eleventh the CCFB has received from the national organization in her 14 years as promotion and education chair.
For information no programs and services offered by the Chenango County Farm Bureau, stop by their office at 6083 State Highway 12N in Norwich, visit them online at www.ccfbny.org or call 334-6061.
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