Tag Archives: Women’s Leadership Committee

Young Farmer and Rancher Representative to Women’s Leadership Committee

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Women’s Committee Handbook

The Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Representative to the State Women’s Leadership Committee is the vital link between women, ages 18-35 and the State Women’s Leadership Committee. She is the spokesperson for her YF&R Leadership team and should represent them at Farm Bureau functions. The YF&R Representative to the State Women’s Leadership Committee is voted on by her YF&R Leadership Team for a one-year term at the Florida Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in October.

  • Be knowledgeable in all aspects of the total Farm Bureau Program, particularly YF&R
  • Attend all scheduled meetings of the State Women’s Leadership Committee during her one-year appointment as the YF&R representative.
  • Contribute to the determination of the annual women’s program of work based on local, state, and national issues and concerns.
  • Work alongside District Chairmen to develop and assist in annual planning/training meetings.
  • Contact and update other YF&R Leadership Team members on a regular basis. It is her responsibility to keep YF&R women informed on issues and events concerning the state program.
  • Report State Women’s Leadership Committee activities to the YF&R Leadership Team
  • Help surface Women’s Committee and YF&R leaders for the organization
  • Support efforts to publicize State Women’s Leadership Conference and other statewide meetings in individual districts.
  • Assist in planning and implementation of women’s activities at FFBF Annual Meeting
  • Participate in AFBF meetings as needed
  • Seek the assistance of their district women’s chairman and state program coordinator when appropriate and necessary.

Women’s Leadership Program State Committee Chairman Duties

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Women’s Committee Handbook

  • Preside over all official FFBF Women’s Leadership Committee meetings.
  • Represent the Women’s Leadership Program on the Florida Farm Bureau State Board of Directors and report women’s activities to the board.
  • Work with Women’s Program coordinator to develop agendas for State Women’s Leadership Committee meetings.
  • Preside at Women’s Annual Business Meeting at Florida Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting and opening session of annual State Women’s Leadership Conference.
  • Practice established parliamentary procedures in conducting all meetings.
  • Keep informed on current agricultural issues and Florida Farm Bureau Federation Policies and direct this information to committee chairmen.
  • Represent Florida Farm Bureau at meetings/conferences called by American Farm Bureau for state chairmen including the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.
  • Present suggested goals for the year to the committee for discussion and approval. Committee may add or delete goals on the list. She and the committee will plan projects and set goals and objectives at the beginning of each year.
  •  Keep the women informed on what the committee is doing.
  • Strive for peace and harmony within the committee. She is the “neutral” person on the committee and the “peacemaker” if there is dissention within the group.
  • As a delegate to the American Farm Bureau Women’s Session, she will pick up the women’s delegate badges and see that Florida women delegates know where to meet her to receive them. Also make sure the Florida women delegates know where the first function is.
  • She is the head of the Florida Farm Bureau Women’s Delegation and should discuss ahead of time how the delegation wants to vote. She does not have to “block vote”; however, she can agree to disagree.
  • She will give a report at the Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting on the activities of the women during the past year (5-10 minutes).
  • Ultimately, she represents the women of Farm Bureau. People judge what she does and says, and that reflects on all the women of Farm Bureau.

Communicating Ag

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Women’s Committee Handbook

As a Farm Bureau leader, you are uniquely qualified to speak on behalf of Florida’s farmers and ranchers. Your peers have asked you to perform this and other duties because of their confidence in you.

In your role as a spokesperson you can make a difference by communicating information to the non-farm public. We hope the suggestions in this document will help you accomplish this important goal. Agriculturists account for 1% of our national population. If you do not speak for yourself and your livelihood, someone outside of production agriculture with a very different agenda may take your place in public discourse.

Under such circumstances the result in either policy formulation or implementation can be disastrous. Given the recurrent problems that have emerged with food safety, for example, your livelihood can be put at an immediate risk if consumers do not receive accurate, reliable information about the responsible, state-of-the-art methods of production adopted by most farmers and ranchers.

Remember that no one is a perfect spokesperson. Everyone makes errors. But you can minimize them as you gain more experience.

Why You Are an Excellent Spokesperson for Agriculture

Nobody knows your farm or ranch better than you do. You are the expert on the natural resources, the production processes and the management skill required to generate a harvest that can sustain you and your family while providing food and fiber for our nation and the world.

According to surveys commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the general public has a positive opinion of farmers and farm families. This attitude gives you a tremendous advantage in seeking to direct attention to the agriculturist’s perspective on public policy questions. The public is predisposed to give you a fair hearing before you ever start to write or say anything.

The more you serve as a spokesperson, the more frequently news media representatives will contact you when they are working on stories that involve your livelihood. Once a reporter or an editor determines that you offer reliable information and you are willing to make yourself available, you can become a regular news source.

The FFBF Public Relation’s Department provides customized PR workshops to help women be more confident in speaking to the media and being the voice of Florida agriculture. To request a workshop, contact Rachael Smith.

Grants (FFB Women’s Committee Handbook)

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FFB Mini-Grants
The Women’s Leadership Committee provides multiple $250 mini-grants to certified Florida educators who are engaged in classroom instruction at the pre-K to 12th grade levels. The mini-grant program supports agricultural education in the classroom. To apply for the mini-grant, click here.

Ag in the Classroom
Florida Ag in the Classroom was created to help school children and teachers learn about agriculture and where their food comes from. Florida Ag in the Classroom provides school garden grants to help fund agricultural-related projects. For more information, click here.

Judy Bronson, FARM RAISED | FARM PROUD

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JUDY BRONSON 
District 6
Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto/Charlotte and Lee

Judy Bronson represents women in District 6 on the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. She and her husband, Steve, live on her family’s 5,800-acre ranch in Highlands County.

Judy and her husband, Steve,  share a unique trait in that they’re both fifth-generation Floridians. Montsdeoca Ranch has been in Judy’s family for over 100 years and she is proud to carry on her family’s cattle ranching heritage.

Steve’s family is from neighboring Osceola County and his grandfather, Henry O. Partin, is known for bringing the first Brahman cattle herd to Florida.

The couple has been happily married for 48 years and have two grown children, Sam and Stephanie. “I feel so blessed to have raised my children on this land,” Bronson said. “I am so thankful for that.”

Judy’s father, Fred Montsdeoca, was a cattle foreman for the Seminole Indian Tribe for 40 years and is known for helping the tribe make a living through cattle ranching. Today, the Seminole Indians have one of the largest herds of cattle in the state.

After Judy’s father passed, she and Steve took over the major roles on the ranch. “We were living in Glades County at the time daddy passed and our oldest, Sam, was just two years old,” she explained. “We moved back to Monstdeoca and Steve took over the ranch in 1974.”

Today, Judy does all of the record and bookkeeping for daily operations on the ranch and she also spends a lot of her time volunteering. She credits friend and fellow Women’s Committee member, Danielle Daum, for encouraging her to join the state committee.

“I have learned so much from this wonderful group of women,” she said. “Being on the State Committee has opened my eyes to a world of opportunity far beyond Highlands County.”

Judy is also a member of the Florida Cattlewomen’s Association and is active in her local county Farm Bureau. She has served in her role on the state committee for five years.

“Everything in Farm Bureau is a learning opportunity,” she said. “We should all, especially young people, take advantage of everything Farm Bureau has to offer.”

Cindy Griffin, Broward County

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Cindy Griffin
District 8
Hendry, Glades, Palm Beach, Western Palm Beach, Collier, Broward, Dade, Monroe

Cindy Griffin represents counties in District 8 for the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. The South Florida native was born in Fort Lauderdale and was raised in Clewiston, part of Hendry County and dubbed the “Sweetest Town on Earth” because of the massive sugarcane acreage in that area.

Griffin has always had a strong interest in environmental issues. She attended the University of Florida and later moved back to Broward County to receive her Bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University.

Griffin has two grown daughters, Leah and Amy, who have blessed her with three granddaughters. “I want my daughters to know that a woman can be an advocate,” she said. “One female voice can make a difference.”

Griffin is an environmental facilitator and teacher for Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) and is the school garden contact for the county. She has been a teacher for more than 30 years. “I’m proud to represent the hard-working people of agriculture in South Florida,” she said.

Griffin serves on her local Broward County Farm Bureau (BCFB) Board of Directors as well as on the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) Board. “Horticulture is a big part of South Florida agriculture,” she said.

Two events that she is most fond of are FFB’s Legislative Days and the Taste of Florida Agriculture Event in Tallahassee as well as Broward County’s “Water Matters Day.”

Griffin explained that she represents BCFB and the FNGLA at both events and she feels strongly that her professional and personal life come together when she has a chance to lobby the legislators on behalf of agriculture.

“I realize the strong impact women have on the legislature,” she said. “You have to constantly educate people on issues affecting agriculture.” Griffin has been involved with Florida Farm Bureau for nearly 20 years and said that one of her greatest hobbies is supporting her local Farm Bureau.

“Agriculture is traditionally a man’s world and I want other women to know that they should never give up and never stop learning,” she said. Her advice to women interested in joining their local Farm Bureaus is, “Find your niche. There is so much you can do to contribute.”

One of her favorite recipes is Strawberry Pie, a recipe that was shared with her by a friend and former Women’s Leadership Chair, Michelle Williamson.

Strawberry Pie

INGREDIENTS:
Store bought pie crust
2 cups strawberries, crushed
1 cup sugar
3 tbs. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:
Bake pie crust according to package directions, let it cool. Mix crushed strawberries, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and cook until thickened. Pour mixture into cooled pie crust and chill thoroughly. Serve with whipped cream.

 

 

FARM RAISED | FARM PROUD

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Victoria Register
District 4
Alachua, Gilchrist, Flagler, Levy, Marion, Seminole, Volusia

Volusia County native, Victoria Register, represents District 4 on the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. She and her fiancé, Brian, currently live in Holly Hill with their three pups, Malibu, Harley and Tucker. The couple plans to marry next fall.

Register is a sales and marketing specialist with FernTrust, Inc. in Volusia County, one of Florida’s major suppliers of cut foliage.

“I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than seeing finalized projects like garlands and wreaths being shipped to customers to use on some of the happiest days of their lives,” she said.

Register grew up on her family’s farm in Seville and some of her fondest childhood memories are fishing the lakes on her family’s farm and offshore with her dad.

She stated that shopping is another hobby she enjoys and joked that, “money seems to burn a hole in my wallet as soon as I get it.”

Her typical day is spent working in the office and her Saturdays are reserved for household chores. “I usually spend about an hour cooking dinner in the evenings,” she said.

“I do count myself extremely blessed to be engaged to Brian. He picks up a lot of slack with cooking and cleaning when it’s needed.”

In addition to her service on the State Women’s Committee, Register also serves as the Volusia County Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair which retains her a seat on the county board of directors. She is currently serving her last term on the State Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Group.

Every year in the spring, she looks forward to Ag in the Classroom, “My absolute favorite activity of the year”, she stated. “I visit at least two-to-three schools in Volusia County each year,” she said.

Register encourages women in her district to join their local county Farm Bureau Women’s Committee by expressing the opportunity of making connections with likeminded women who continually give back to their communities.

“People might not remember all of the things I did or accomplished during my life, but I hope they can remember how I made them laugh and smile or how I made their gloomy day just a little bit brighter”, she said.

Her favorite recipe is Paula Deen’s Baked Enchilada Pie.