This week marks the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. There is no denying that 2025 has been a year we will never forget. Some of us would like to forget 2025 and others have had a good year. Yes, I am talking about the difference between those of us who raise crops and those of us who have cattle. It has been a year of extremes.

However, whether you liked it or hated it, 2025 is in the rearview mirror and 2026 is dead ahead. What will 2026 bring us? Who knows? It is an election year These elections have a lot riding on the line, and your involvement is critical for agriculture.

If you are a member of Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends (VOTE FBF), thank you and now is the time to start researching the candidates in your area so you can have an informed opinion about which candidate could help agriculture the most. If you have not yet contributed to VOTE FBF, I would encourage you to do so right now and you can make your voice heard when the County Evaluation Committee or CEC meets and chooses candidates to support.

Every member’s opinion is important when the VOTE FBF board makes its selections both for the primary and for the general election. We know that increasingly farmers and ranchers are becoming a smaller and smaller portion of the population, so it is important that we band together to have a louder voice.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Kansas, and it is critical that we elect officials who understand agriculture and the importance of what we do. We need officials who are at least receptive to hear the message Kansas Farm Bureau brings to the Capitol, both in Topeka and Washington D.C.

That all starts with you being involved with the individuals we send to represent us. We must get to know them before they are elected, and it is just as important that they know who the members of Kansas Farm Bureau are too.

VOTE FBF has a tremendous history of backing winners in the election. That is because the recommendations come from our county Farm Bureaus, not the top down. Each county has the opportunity to submit their recommendations, and they carry a great deal of weight when VOTE FBF makes endorsements.

Now, over the coming months, take the time to meet the candidates and understand where they stand, especially on issues affecting farming and ranching. Make sure your CEC knows how you feel and then watch for the VOTE FBF endorsed candidates both before the primary election and again before the general election.

I am proud to be part of an organization that puts so much emphasis on decisions at the grassroots level. That is why candidates prize the endorsement of VOTE FBF so much, it truly is from the electors themselves. Again, I urge you to contribute, do your homework and take part in the CEC process and help determine who we send to Topeka and D.C. As we turn the calendar and start an election year, our work isas important now as it has ever been.