Networking At The Local Level
Posted 7/07/22 (Thu)
As county Farm Bureau leaders plan and host their county annual meetings, it’s important to invite state legislators and even candidates for legislative office. Several counties have already held annual meetings and legislators have been attending.
Our elected officials need to hear first-hand the issues being focused on during our policy development process and what issues are emerging from county Farm Bureaus. It might also be wise to invite local office holders and candidates as well. In addition, it’s helpful for elected officials to have a chance to interact with Farm Bureau members. Counties do not necessarily have to offer the officials or candidates time to address the audience, but both the county Farm Bureau and the candidates would be helped by the casual interaction which takes place at our local meetings.
With redistricting, many legislators are running in counties and areas which are new to them and are interested in meeting face-to-face with their potential new constituents. Some legislative districts have changed drastically since the last apportionment and many county Farm Bureau members may not even know who will be on the ballot this fall. This is a wonderful opportunity for the county Farm Bureau to serve as a facilitator in helping voters build new relationships with their elected officials.
Counties are highly encouraged to have public officials, including legislators or legislative candidates on their invite list for county annual meetings. This is a good practice for every county when it comes to annual meeting invitations but is particularly important this election season.
If county Farm Bureau leaders need help in identifying legislators who have ‘inherited’ their county through redistricting, please contact Pete Hanebutt in the Bismarck office at (701) 224-0330 or pete@ndfb.org.