Farmers are often urged to “get involved” in the political process. But what does it mean to get involved? As Indiana Farm Bureau member Kevin Underwood attests, it can mean whatever you want it to mean.
“How are we going to continue as not only an organization, but as an industry, as we move forward into the future?” The Tippecanoe County farmer and former INFB district director says he is involved with Indiana Farm Bureau to help leave a legacy for his kids and grandkids in the ag industry.
Underwood started by getting involved in the INFB Young Farmer program in the mid-90s. Then he got involved in his county Farm Bureau working to impact local government decisions that affected agriculture.
“And I found that I had a real flair for a lot of that local politics kind of thing, and got involved with county council, and was on the council for 20 years, and actually then served as president for nearly half of that time.”
Maybe your goal isn’t to run for political office like Underwood did. That’s okay! Underwood says there is no barrier to entry when it comes to getting involved with Indiana Farm Bureau and the political process.
To make your voice heard, you can speak up with your time, talent, or treasure. Your time at meetings, your talent in becoming a subject matter expert and a resource for politicians on farm policy, or your treasure.
“We can do it through our PAC arm of Indiana Farm Bureau. Supporting that helps support ag friendly candidates at the state and federal level. But even being involved in those conversations, because a lot of times it’s those personal relationships we’ve had at the local level that make such a huge difference for us in agriculture, in how we are so much more effective than a lot of large, well-funded organizations because of the fact that we have those personal relationships with those folks.”
For more information on how you can get involved, visit infarmbureau.org.
