Listening Sessions and congratulations to a Union County student

It's good to be back in the office after spending two days with the Florida Farm Bureau Federation staff discussing the future of the organization. It's good to get together with the staff in a 'retreat' to have a chance to talk about issues important to the organization.

Now I will begin this year's round of President's "Listening Sessions." On Thursday I will be at the Madison County Farm Bureau office for the listening session for Field District 2. That evening I will be in Okaloosa County to hear the concerns of our member leaders in District 1.

The Listening Session for Field District 3 will be held on Feb. 22 in Bryceville at 7 p.m. District 4's session will be held on March 2 at the Marion County Extension Office at 6 p.m. On March 4 I will be in Hillsborough County at noon for District 5 followed by District 6 at the Turner Agri-Center in Arcadia at 6:30 p.m. For District 7 I will meet the Farm Bureau leaders at The Marsh Landing Restaurant in Fellsmere. The last Listening Session, for counties in District 8, will be held on March 26 at noon at the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau office.

In other news, we are proud to have one of our own win a national essay contest.

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture recently announced the winners of the “Agriculture in a Growing World” student essay competition. The contest was sponsored by the Foundation with the support of Alpharma. It recognizes high school students and teachers for increasing their understanding of agriculture using the Foundation’s 2008 Book of the Year, “The Man Who Fed the World,” an authorized biography of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug written by Leon Hesser.

Bobbie-Jean Tatum, a 10th-grade student at Union County High School in Florida, was awarded $500 for her 1st place essay. Her school received a $1,000 grant to further agricultural education. Rebekah Raulerson, Tatum’s Honors English teacher, received a $2,000 scholarship to attend the 2010 Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Baltimore, Md.