The countdown is less than a week, and I can feel the excitement building! Yes, this is the week of Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) annual meeting in Manhattan, and I am excited to see everyone.

I love our annual meeting because it is a celebration of the past year and all our accomplishments. Starting Saturday night with a murder mystery fundraiser for the Kansas Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. I do not know who the victim is, and that makes me just a little nervous, especially since I have not seen any indication I have any duties beyond Saturday night. Probably just an oversight.

Sunday starts with hearing from American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duval and honoring friends of Farm Bureau. Then come workshops and legislative updates. At the banquet that evening we hear from KFB President Joe Newland and honor some great farm families. What a day!

On Monday we look forward to 2026 with our business meeting. Personally, I look forward to presenting the work of the resolutions committee and deciding on the changes for our policy book for the upcoming year. I enjoy the debate and discussion as we adopt our framework for the upcoming legislative session.

Yes, we have a great schedule of events to celebrate accomplishments and to look forward to the work of the organization for the next year and all of that is very important, but it is not my favorite part of annual meeting.

My favorite part of annual meeting is the work done in the hallways between sessions and on breaks. It is the conversations around the tables at meals. To me, the best and most important part of annual meeting is renewing old friendships and meeting new people.

Those of us who are members of Kansas Farm Bureau do important work during our three days in Manhattan. The culmination of a year of great work and planning for the next year should not be overlooked, and it is the reason we come together. However, Kansas Farm Bureau is a family, and fellowship is also important.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can in that short amount of time. Agriculture can be kind of a lonely business at times and spending time with fellow farmers and ranchers is good for the soul. We have had a year with many challenges and the encouragement of friends is important. Given this past year, I would say the fellowship aspect is even more critical.

I will see many of you Saturday night and depending on the script, hopefully I will see everyone else Sunday morning. They never kill the vice president off, right? In any case, I am sure the hallways will be buzzing with talk this weekend and I cannot wait.

The Kansas Farm Bureau annual meeting only happens once a year so make sure you get all the loose ends tied up at home and be safe traveling to Manhattan. It’s going to be a great weekend.