Carbon/Stillwater County Farm Bureau Leads Reading Program for Kindergartners

With a new year upon us it's time again to be planning your County Program of Work (POW) for the year ahead.  What did you do last year that worked well?  Is there a new program or event you'd like to incorporate this year?  Over the next several weeks you'll see a smattering of posts appearing on the blog showing new and innovative programs facilitated by County Farm Bureau's around the country and right here at home. 

Connecting with Youth

Carbon/Stillwater County Farm Bureau recently kicked off a new reading program with a local elementary school.  For 45 minutes twice a month for the remainder of the school year, four county volunteers will be interacting with Kindergarteners in Red Lodge by reading stories about farm and ranch life and visiting with students about Agriculture.  “Since we (Farm Bureau) are all about sharing our story and since we feel that educating our youth is a great way to promote our industry, we were more than happy to take on the project,” says Carbon/Stillwater County President Rhonda Hergenrider.

They will focus mainly on using resources available through the Montana Farm Bureau Foundation like the 2018 Book of the Year.  This program is a phenomenal example of how small, yet how impactful an event might be.  In order to make this happen each month, four people need to give three hours of their time each month--that’s incredibly manageable! 

If you happen to be a member of Carbon/Stillwater County Farm Bureau and would be interested in participating, please contact Rikki Murrill at rikkim@mfbf.org or 587-3153.

POW Planning Tip of the Week:

Start it early, Check it often—January and February (or earlier!) is a great time to create your POW for the year.  Refer back to your POW regularly, every board meeting if you have to.  If you create it and then never look at it—it’s useless.  The whole point of the POW is to create a plan and gauge your progress through the year.