Chuck’s Chat - Welcome to January 2026!

Well, here it is a new month in a new year and I’m already a day late composing this nonsense I know so many of you have been waiting for. My sincere apologies for contributing to your woes.

The Kansas Farm Bureau annual meeting was held December 6 - 8 in Manhattan. Montgomery County Farm Bureau was well represented and well rewarded at the recent Kansas Farm Bureau annual meeting in Manhattan. The Mike and Peggy Blaes family were recognized as one of ten state Farm Family of the Year recipients. Five members were voting delegates for the business session, and two members were recognized for work on state committees. Additionally, the county was one of only 39 to achieve platinum status in the showcase awards program. And to the attendees’ surprise, Montgomery County Farm Bureau received first place in the state innovation contest for their container garden project work last spring in collaboration with the Local Health Equity Action Team.

I’m honored and consider it a privilege to represent Kansas Farm Bureau as a voting delegate at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s upcoming annual meeting to be held in Anaheim, California. Despite my dislike for flying, I’m excited for the opportunity and will do my best to help represent over 100,000 members across our great state. I’m hoping for good weather as opposed to the last time I flew in January, and nobody thought to plug in the plane overnight. (ask me sometime)

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the progress on the new Montgomery County Extension Office at the corner of West Myrtle and 14th street in Independence. Tri-State Building is doing a fantastic job, and fortunately for them, the weather has been very cooperative.

The United States will mark the semi quincentennial—250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence—on July 4, 2026, with a year-long series of ceremonies, cultural programs, and national celebrations. Hopefully this will be able to be joyfully celebrated unanimously by all Americans and help to reunite our country as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Let the planning process begin!

God Bless America

Buy local, support your small businesses.

Until next month,

Chuck Voelker