Visit the official 2016 Iowa Farm Bureau Annual Meeting website for complete details, including a complete agenda, hotel and facility details, registration information, more!

The Iowa Farm Bureau’s (IFBF) 98th annual meeting, set for Dec. 6 and 7, will celebrate the achievements of county Farm Bureaus and the members of the grassroots organization. The theme for this year’s meeting, "Believe-Lead-Achieve," recognizes the dedication of members to their county Farm Bureaus, their farms and their communities.

"Believe-Lead-Achieve is Farm Bureau. Those words embody what Farm Bureau is all about," said Barb Lykins, IFBF director of community resources. "We’re celebrating the achievements of the county Farm Bureaus, our young farmers and the possibilities that our membership creates for their farm."

This year’s annual meeting will again be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines.

The first session of educational seminars this year will feature digital data use and management, a look at Iowa’s variable weather, and endangered species and Iowa agriculture. The seminars will begin at 10 a.m. on Dec. 6 and will repeat at 2:30 p.m.

The IFBF will celebrate its counties and their achievements during the Farm Bureau Successes luncheon. Membership toppers, outstanding county Farm Bureaus, century county Farm Bureaus and Leo Waggoner award winners will be recognized during the luncheon.

The voting delegate session will begin at 2:30 p.m.

New this year, the Young Farmer events will move to the first day of the annual meeting. The discussion meet winner, achievement award winners, the Bob Joslin award recipient and the Young Farmer advisory committee will be celebrated with a dinner and an evening gala beginning at 5:30 p.m. Entertainment by The Painchaud Family will round out the evening featuring young farmers.

An ice cream social for all Iowa Farm Bureau members as well as district director candidate and vice president receptions will be held at 8:45 p.m.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack will provide a keynote address to members on the second day of the annual meeting. Vilsack’s keynote follows Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill’s address to membership and recognition of the distinguished service award recipients. Caucuses for district 4, 6, and 8 director elections will be held prior to the beginning of the general session.

Conservation focus

Mitchell County Farm Bureau member Dean Sponheim and Humboldt County Farm Bureau member Doug Adams will help farmers understand how to tell their conservation story as part of the second day of educational seminars at 10:15 a.m. Dale Durchholz of AgriVisor LLC will provide a crop and livestock outlook during an educational session. Rounding out the seminars, which will be repeated at 11:15 a.m., is a presentation from David Miller, director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau members Joan Maxwell and Brian Jones about their experiences during the international ag study tour to South Africa earlier this year.

The voting delegate session is scheduled to reconvene at 1 p.m., which will wrap up this year’s annual meeting events.

Members will receive more information about how to register for the meeting and hotel accommodations from their local county Farm Bureau office.