A Letter from Retiring Board Member

Written by John Field, Retiring Director of District IV

Twelve years. That’s how long I’ve been on the Board of Directors for Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. It seems like quite a long time, but the time seems to have passed quickly, especially when you’re having fun, as they say. I served in numerous leadership positions over the course of my lifetime, and it has been my pleasure to represent the western slope of Colorado on the board during my tenure. I believe that change is good and needed, and I look forward to the opportunity to welcome a new board member to represent western Colorado as I step down.

Agriculture has been my life and existence for as long as I can remember.  I have a special place in my heart for RMFU because our mission is to support family farms and rural communities. To me, this is the basis of our organization. The decisions I helped make for RMFU were always grounded in this philosophy. When I first ran for the board, I was told that the organization is a Big Tent Organization. This is absolutely true, and is one of the reasons our organization is so well respected and successful.  However, with an organization like ours, one size does not always fit all. As we move forward, as members, directors, and staff, we must remember that our organization represents all of agriculture and needs to respect everyone’s opinion, keeping in mind that our basic purpose is to support family farms and rural communities.

I believe that we have a very strong organization, and I am leaving a board that is in strong hands with strong support for our insurance company and members. Good luck to us all as we move forward in our course in life.