2023 County Activities of Excellence
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Now celebrating 103 years, American Farm Bureau has served farmers and ranchers across the country as the Voice of Agriculture®. The innovative, action-oriented programs developed by county Farm Bureaus are a huge part of the overall success of the Farm Bureau. The AFBF County Activities of Excellence (CAE) Awards are designed to celebrate unique volunteer-driven programming at the local level. We aim to recognize and share successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities to help generate even more grassroots activity. The CAE program categorizes activities into the following areas: Education and Ag Promotion, Member Services, Public Relations and Information, Leadership Development and Policy Implementation.

Up to 24 county Farm Bureau activities from across the nation will be selected to display in the Trade Show at the American Farm Bureau Convention on January 6-11, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Individual county activities and multi-county collaborative activities selected will receive $2,250 toward expenses incurred to participate in the CAE program at the American Farm Bureau Convention as well as four free convention registrations.

Awards are judged based on the following membership groups:

-Up to 1,000 members

-1,001-3,000 members

-3,001-5,000 members

-5,001 + members

-Multi-county activities

1. County Farm Bureau applications must be submitted no later than Thursday. September 1, 2022 at 5:00 PM EDT. The link for the web-based application can be found at www.fb.org/cae.

2. Each application is required to upload a minimum of two high-resolution photographs of the activity.

3. Only one entry per county per year may be submitted by a county Farm Bureau either as an individual entry or as a part of a multi-county entry, but not both. The activity must have been conducted between the dates of September 1, 2021–August 31, 2022.

4. Entries will be evaluated solely on the contents of the online entry form. Only those entries approved by the state Farm Bureau County Activities of Excellence coordinator will be advanced for judging. State CAE coordinators will have the final say in advancing applications from their state for judging. Applications that contain the name or visual of the state or county (e.g. state map outline) will not be eligible for selection, including contents in both the written application and photos.

5. Entries must be approved by the state County Activities of Excellence coordinator no later than September 12, 2022. The coordinator must verify county membership numbers.

6. By submitting an entry, county Farm Bureaus and their representatives agree to participate in publicity and advertising efforts of AFBF as it relates to the County Activities of Excellence award program. However, entry does not guarantee publication.

7. AFBF will announce counties selected to participate in the 2023 Trade Show on September 1, 2022.

8. A minimum of three in each membership category up to 24 individual county activities, including up to 4 multi-county collaborative activities, will be recognized. The county activities selected to display in the 2023 Trade Show will receive four complimentary registrations to the AFBF Annual Convention, a complimentary 10’ x 10’ booth space, and a cash stipend of $2,250 to be applied toward the cost of travel and trade show exhibit. The awards will be presented on-site only if the counties receiving recognition exhibit in the Trade Show.

9. For county activities selected by AFBF, it is the county Farm Bureau’s responsibility to prepare and deliver exhibit materials to the Trade Show and set up, staff and dismantle the activity booth in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The county Farm Bureau is responsible for all logistics and expenses related to shipping, transportation, hotels, etc.

10. AFBF is not responsible for the loss or damage of materials.

11. County Farm Bureaus that have been selected to display at two consecutive Trade Shows will be ineligible on the third year.

12. Once an activity submitted by an individual county or multi-county applicant receives a County Activities of Excellence award, that activity becomes ineligible for future award consideration from the same county or multi-county applicant.

13. State Farm Bureaus submitting one to four applications are asked to volunteer one judge for the evaluation process. States submitting five to nine applications are asked for at least two judges, and if a state submits 10 or more applications, please provide the names of three or more judges. State County Activities of Excellence coordinators will be designated as judges unless a substitute is submitted in advance of judging assignments being made.

Timeline:

Activities Completed: September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022

Application Opens: June 21, 2022

Entry Deadline: September 1, 2022, at 5:00 PM EDT

State Approval Deadline: September 12, 2022

Winners Announced: September 30, 2022

Winners Display at Tradeshow: January 6 - 11, 2023