Chuck's Chat-Welcome to September 2025
The annual Montgomery County Farm Bureau meeting will be held on October 7 at ICC West in Independence, beginning at 6:30pm. The silent auction proceeds will go to benefit Live Healthy Montgomery County, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission statement is “To improve the health of all Montgomery County residents by promoting prevention, programs, resources and policies that encourage healthy lifestyles.” More specifically, the proceeds will be donated to the Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT) to further assist with the container gardening project, a joint venture with Montgomery County Farm Bureau, established this past year. The funds will help provide soil and amendments, seeds, plants, and other supplies necessary for successful container gardening for low-income families and individuals. Over 110 families and individuals benefited from this project last spring. We’d love to see the project continue to increase in size and provide a positive impact on many more in need. Contact me or Kathy O’Brien at (620) 331-0826 if you’d like to donate at item or provide financial support.
Wednesday, September 3 will be the annual Listening Post, an opportunity for Farm Bureau members to hear and discuss the proposed policy changes to be deliberated at this year’s KFB meeting in December. It will be held at the Greenbush Service Center near Girard, with a meal beginning at 6:00pm.
This year, National Farm Safety and Health Week will be recognized from September 21 to 27, under the theme “Safety First, Avoid the Worst.” The theme’s message sounds simple, but it carries weight in an industry filled with long hours, hard work, powerful machinery, large animals, and unpredictable environments such as manure storage facilities and stored products like feed and grain. Farm Safety Week has been officially recognized by U.S. Presidents dating back to 1944, when Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first proclamation during World War II.
If you are a veteran and a farmer, or know someone who is, you should consider applying for the Farm Bureau Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence. The recipient of the award will receive $10,000 plus reimbursement of up to $5,000 in travel and other expenses incurred for the recipient and their guest to attend the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention to be held in Anaheim, California, on January 9-14, 2026. Applications are due September 2. For information, check out this website: https://www.fb.org/.../afbf-veteran-farmer-award-of....
Enjoy the cooler temperatures.
Until next month,
Chuck Voelker