President’s Podium: Strengthening Rural Voices

The RMFU Mission is to strengthen our member voices through education, legislation, and cooperation. I truly believe we have proven that we continue to see success in achieving that mission. In our education department, our Fellows Program continues to produce great leaders and has a waiting list of people who want to take part. Our youth education program is growing, beginning to build those new leaders. Legislatively, we are part of the initial conversations around bills and rules and are influential in helping our members and minimizing negative impacts in all three of our states and nationally. Our Co-op Development Center was the recipient of the largest grant we have ever received and will be partnering with other organizations to build more cooperative businesses across our three states. Without the hard work, knowledge, and relationships our staff brings, we would not be as effective as we are, so when you see someone from our staff, extend your thanks for the work they do on your behalf.

But in addition to giving staff your thanks, I’m going to task each of you reading this with a job. I want each of you to help strengthen our member voices by strengthening our membership numbers and our engaged membership. I ask each of you, if you see value in what we do, tell five friends, neighbors, or family members how much we do not just for our members, but also for our rural communities and those who rely on the food, fuel, and fiber family farmers and ranchers produce. I ask each of you, when a postcard arrives and there is a chapter meeting, make the time to attend. If you already regularly attend, thank you, and next time take a friend or two.

RMFU will continue to pursue our mission and work to strengthen your voices. In return, I task each of our members with helping us do that for you! Be engaged, get others engaged, and help us as we work to achieve our vision of a society in which family farmers, ranchers, and their communities thrive!