The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has awarded four Awards of Excellence to New York Farm Bureau (NYFB), a winner in all four award categories: Advocacy, Coalitions & Partnerships, Leadership & Business Development, and Engagement & Outreach. AFBF will present the awards at its 105th Annual Convention, which will be held January 24 through 29, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.
“Winning AFBF awards in all four categories is an achievement we are very proud of, and I commend our staff for the hard work they do all year,” said NYFB CEO Deanna Fox. “With a new legislative session soon upon us, we will continue to advocate every day for every farmer.”
NYFB completed a rigorous application process for the awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in each category.
Advocacy: New York State ranks among the top five states for the number of cideries, breweries, distilleries, wineries and meaderies – yet all but wineries were not permitted by law to ship their products directly to consumers outside the state. Recognizing the inequity in farm beverage shipping laws, NYFB successfully took on a major grassroots advocacy initiative to lobby the governor and state legislature to allow these products to be shipped to customers outside of New York. NYFB’s efforts proved successful, with the Senate and Assembly each approving direct-to-consumer shipping legislation for cideries, distilleries and meaderies in June 2024 and Governor Hochul following suit in August. As a result, the legislation will be enacted in time for holiday sales in November and December.
Coalitions & Partnerships: As part of a group of eight state Farm Bureaus sponsored by Nationwide, NYFB regularly participates in strategy discussions aimed at shared objectives of growing membership, improving operational efficiency and increasing revenue. Last year, the state coalition leveraged group buying power to negotiate contracts with a third-party call center and a digital marketing platform. The impact of this coalition was a measurable improvement in member retention, along with increased awareness of the NYFB brand. Specifically, an investment of just $2,500 in the call center saw a return of nearly $30,000 in renewal dollars, while a 20-part digital marketing campaign resulted in 629,000 views and more than $5,000 in conversion value.
Leadership & Business Development: NYFB sought to meet three strategic goals: 1) to enhance collaboration with other Northeast Farm Bureau states; 2) to develop events and programs that can serve as revenue-generating functions; and 3) to create programs that appeal to collegiate Farm Bureau members. Using its Young Farmers & Ranchers conference as a jumping-off point, NYFB set out to reimagine the conference and directly appeal to collegiate members. Held at Cornell University, the conference featured a slate of impactful workshops on topics including engaging with urban legislators, building a Farm Bureau resume, land access for beginning farmers, and farm succession planning. Together with increased outreach in advance of the conference, these focused efforts resulted in attracting 75 attendees, exceeding the goal of 60.
Engagement & Outreach: To remain competitive in an increasingly digital world, NYFB decided to increase its investment in social media – not only to amplify members’ stories, but also to educate the public about the realities of modern farming. NYFB hired a dedicated content creator, developed a comprehensive communications plan, upgraded photography and videography equipment, and focused on empowering members to become digital advocates themselves. The impact was transformative. Audiences across all social media platforms grew by an impressive 71.7% within one year, and engagement grew 262.1%. Today, NYFB’s social media presence continues to grow and to tell member stories in compelling ways.
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