Last week I attended Kansas Farm Bureau’s Day at the Statehouse along with a couple hundred of my fellow Kansas Farm Bureau members. If you have never attended a Day at the Statehouse, I highly recommend doing so — it is truly an example of grassroots advocacy in action and proof of why Farm Bureau is so effective advocating for farmers and ranchers.

The program was exceptionally good and informative, laying out the issues of the current legislative session. Kansas Farm Bureau’s action plan for the session was also laid out for all the participants. It was the culmination of our policy development from the past year that came from those same members who showed up to lobby at the Capitol.

The work Kansas Farm Bureau members did over that 24-hour period should make all of us proud. We had members from every corner of the state representing all segments of agriculture.

One theme that was repeated several times was the value of each member interacting with their elected officials. Do not get me wrong, we have the best lobbying crew, and I would not trade them for any others, but the real power of Kansas Farm Bureau is its members, and our elected officials understand that.

I watched legislators seek out Farm Bureau members during an evening reception and the next day at the Capitol. They were doing this because of the value and the power of each of the 105 county Farm Bureaus in Kansas. No other organization has that kind of grassroots in each community in Kansas.

I eavesdropped on some conversations, and we truly had the ears and attention of those elected officials. Repeatedly, I heard something along the lines of, “what are Kansas Farm Bureau’s priorities this session?" Then I listened as members articulated our positions on issues important to agriculture.

Important conversations that would have been hard for our staff to have had. For one thing, it would have taken hours and days to meet with all those officials. The more important piece was the attention paid to the message. The farmers and ranchers involved in the discussion understand the policy they are lobbying because they helped develop it in response to their experiences navigating current laws and regulations every day.

We all know we cannot be at the Capitol each day the legislature is in session, and that is why our staff are so critical, but it is the personal relationship between voters and elected officials that makes a visit from a member so important. It is the informed, involved members that make Kansas Farm Bureau so effective, and this is why Day at the Statehouse is so important.

While Day at the Statehouse is important, it is equally important that members reach out to their elected representatives to let them know what issues are important to them. Kansas Farm Bureau is as strong as its members and, from what I witnessed last week, we are rooted in strength.