The AFBF Convention was a fantastic experience. New Orleans welcomed us; the weather warm and the local people even warmer with their reception of us. The presentation I want to highlight was from our very own Laura Nelson. What a fabulous realization and confirmation that we have such high caliber people in our state!

Laura Nelson has been writing a history of Montana Farm Bureau for this, our centennial, year. The passion and excitement she has for her research is infectious! The details turn history into a story, and a story is so much more meaningful to hear! The details also let us truly peek into the lives of those who came before us. We can learn from what they did. Laura gave us directives on how to get the details to turn history into the story. 

Knock on doors 

And keep on knocking. She gave a list of local people who can be valuable resources. And when talking to those resources, don’t be afraid of silence, let it get awkward. In that next bit of silence, a detail that makes the story can come to light.

Dig Deep

Then dig deeper. Patience and persistence brings the details that turn just a history into a fully fleshed out story.

Leave a Legacy

Finally, Laura’s biggest revelation was her assumption that a legacy could be distilled into one line was totally wrong.

A legacy is not just something to admire but is what a person leaves that the next generation can learn from. A one line statement does not capture a legacy. The history needs details to make a story, the story inspires and informs the next generation and gives them something to emulate.

Let’s tell our story to make the next hundred years of Montana Farm Bureau shine and even outshine the last hundred years! 

 

If you'd like to learn more about One Line Legacies and how you can begin to capture history in written form watch Laura's full presentation here. The book on Montana Farm Bureau's Centennial History will be available for purchase this fall--watch the website and Facebook for more details on how to purchase!