“First” NFU Convention for President Franke

We are fresh back from NFU Convention 2023 in San Francisco. This was definitely not my first NFU convention; that happened back in 1995. Fun fact, we flew out of DIA about a week after it opened for this convention! However, this was my first as RMFU President, so it was a year of firsts for me.

My work started Friday at noon, with a board meeting of Midwest Agency. Midwest is an agency that RMFU, six other states, and National Farmers Union (NFU) own part of.
This agency sells insurance in Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, much like our agency sells insurance in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Keep an eye out for more info on these entities! We also met with the Midwest board before the official convention kick-off Sunday morning.

Next up was NFU Board of Director Meetings on Saturday. For those who don’t know, the NFU Board is comprised of each state chapter’s president. Since there are 23 state chapters, these are big meetings. We met all day, going through numerous reports from the various NFU departments and from each member state. RMFU is also represented on the NFUFUSA (states that sell insurance or have other enterprises) and NFUFoundation (States with foundations) boards, so those boards also met. Overall, there is a lot of information about what happens behind the scenes of NFU and the work done in Washington.

Next, the big show, the convention! As president, my role during this time is one of support. I still believe we have the best delegate crew of any of the states, and you proved it yet again. The list of policy changes our delegates brought and got accepted is once again staggering. Thanks to everyone who served as a delegate and those who helped them prepare.
My last order of business in San Francisco was the board reorganization meeting. Every year after the close of the convention, the NFU board reconvenes for the single purpose of reorganizing the sub-committees. These consist of Budget/Audit, Education/Co-op, Legislative, and Membership. I was asked to serve on the Budget/Audit, and Membership committees, where I will have a hand in ensuring NFU stays financially strong, helping guide NFU in growing membership, and ensuring we take care of our existing members.

In addition, there is the Executive Committee, made up of the NFU President and Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the chair of each committee, plus two elected at large from the remaining presidents. This committee is the in-depth work committee, where a lot of the more complex, long-range groundwork is done to be presented to and voted on by the full board. I was thrilled to be voted into one of the at-large positions. This position will give RMFU a voice in the early stages of crafting the work of the NFU Board.

I enjoyed my first NFU Convention as RMFU President, I learned a lot, and I continue to be proud of the respect RMFU and our delegates earn every year.