From the Field is
a bi-monthly column written by Mark Campbell, Farm Bureau Field Services and
County Farm Bureau activities. Director for the Central District. He writes
about Farm Bureau member benefits and County Farm Bureau activities.
The title is a former Virginia Farm Bureau motto that had been around for
a long time. I think it describes the
Membership and Field Services Department well.
As most of you know, Virginia Farm
Bureau has regional fieldmen, as they are often called. The official title is District Field Services
Director, but most of the time we are referred to as fieldmen. There are nine of us in the field, each
working a district of 10 counties, plus a staff person devoted to membership
marketing.
Our Membership and Field
Services Department has three other staff members plus the vice president of
the department that work in the home office.
Our department focuses on leadership development and support, serving as
a liaison between Virginia Farm
Bureau (VFB) and the 88 county Farm Bureaus, managing membership benefit
programs, and membership as a whole.
While we all have similar job
duties, we each have different specialties that benefit Farm Bureau and the agriculture
community. Most of our staff have farm
backgrounds and have developed some of their skills, knowledge and talents on
the farm. Others have gained experiences
through in-depth work on Farm Bureau issues or in associations or volunteer
work. I intended to highlight each
person with their special niche, but it was getting too long. Instead, I want to let you know about a few
areas of specialty that we have.
Our field staff have
extensive knowledge in several farm products including row crops, beef cattle,
agronomy, fruit and vegetables, and tobacco.
As for policy issues, the staff have become specialized in Land Use Tax, zoning, conservations easements, water
quality, Best Managements Practices (BMPs) programs, and working with state
regulatory agencies. This has been
accomplished through years of working on these issues and by serving on county
planning commissions, board of supervisors, and other local commissions and
associations. One of our field staff
even managed the Virginia Tech
football and baseball fields.
These specialties have been
beneficial in working with county Farm Bureaus on issues or helping a member on
an individual basis. I am proud to say
that there is a wealth of knowledge among the staff and years of experience,
with some having been with VFB for over 30 years. I can confidently say that all of them,
including myself, have a passion for agriculture and enjoy helping farmers and
people in the agriculture community continue to build and strengthen the
industry and way of life.
If there is anything that we
can help you with; we will be glad to try and help. If we don’t know the answer, we can
definitely put you in touch with the right person. The easiest way to contact us is through your
local county Farm Bureau office. Thanks
for being a member. We have several
membership benefits for you to utilize, and we hope that our service adds value
to your membership as well.
Until next time,
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment