Our organization is only as strong as the membership behind it.  We can never say enough about the amazing members we know and work with every day.  This November, MFBF is celebrating a ‘Month of Thanks’.  Throughout the month we’ve featured members from across the state who have been nominated by their peers and fellow County Farm Bureau members.  Keep reading to learn a little about these folks and why their County Farm Bureau is so thankful for their involvement.
For our final installment, we’re going out with a bang!  This week’s nomination comes from Carbon/Stillwater Counties Farm Bureau.

Theo Yanzick

A Farm Bureau members since 1994, Theo has been a very active Farm Bureau member since the beginning. She rarely misses a meeting and almost always has something to contribute.  She regularly serves as a voting delegate to the MFBF Annual Convention and chaired the MFBF Sheep & Goat Committee for many years.  Theo sits on the Board of Directors for Carbon/Stillwater County and is a member of the MFBF Weed Committee.

Ranching has been in Theo's blood her entire life. Her father Ted Bickerdyke, homesteaded in Carter County in South Eastern MT in 1919. This country taught her the hard lessons of ranch life as the so called prairie was covered in hardpan and sagebrush and received less than 13 inches of rain per year.  Summers were hot and dry and winters were hard and long.  Still, she would literally rush home from school to ride her horse and check the cows.  Upon graduating college, Theo married her lifelong ranching partner Bruce Yanzick.  Early on they moved around a lot, finally settling in Stillwater County, West of Absarokee where they reside today.  Together they raised cow/calf pairs and sheep.  Today at 77, she is still actively ranching.  

Carbon/Stillwater County President, Rhonda Hergenrider, is thankful for Theo’s passion for Farm Bureau, “What I appreciate most about Theo is her drive to search for members.  As she is working and talking with her neighbors she is quick to point out the benefits of membership.  Her passion for the industry and grassroots organizations like Farm Bureau often encourages others. She is a trailblazer!”