In North Carolina, Farm Bureau has emerged as a powerful force for agriculture and for our rural residents. As a leader in our state, then, Farm Bureau bears responsibilities to the people of North Carolina —and we take those responsibilities seriously.

Our primary responsibility—our core mission—was clearly defined in 1936. Farm Bureau is to provide legislative representation for North Carolina’s farmers and rural families. Every legislative session finds Farm

Bureau staff actively advocating for member policy positions, which were formalized by the voting delegates from county Farm Bureaus.

We had a good legislative session during 2011. We worked well with the new leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly and counted several significant accomplishments.

Among the most important of those accomplishments was regulatory reform. The process was primarily to make sure that the state’s regulations are fair and no more punitive than federal regulations.

We also worked with other organizations to protect agricultural programs during tough budget negotiations within state government. We worked on a host of water issues, protecting the farmer’s right to use the water under his land.

We were instrumental  in establishing the North Carolina Animal Ag Coalition. We protected present use value based taxation. We worked hard to protect private property rights. And we opposed the introduction of E-Verify at the state level.

We have been heavily involved in federal issues this year as well, working closely with staff from American Farm Bureau.

Immigration reform is at the top of the list of issues we oversee. Let’s be clear about our position on immigration reform. Farm Bureau is not out promoting an amnesty policy, nor are we advocating policies that attempt to exploit a cheap labor market.

We believe we must have a fair, balanced and reasonable approach to immigration enforcement and immigration reform in North Carolina and the United States.

In preparation for the new farm bill, we met with commodity groups and leaders from across North Carolina to determine what would best fit our state’s farmers. We must have a farm bill that works in the new budget climate, that is equitable and works for all commodities, and that contains risk management programs that help producers manage risk in the event of catastrophic losses. Hence, a strong safety net.

As a nonpartisan organization, Farm Bureau stands for agriculture. We have the responsibility to speak for farmers and serve as an advocate for agriculture in North Carolina.

Farm Bureau will NOT shirk that responsibility no matter how tough the issue, no matter how controversial the issue, no matter how sensitive the issue—just as long as our policy supports our actions.

The year 2011 will go down as a challenging one for Farm Bureau—both for our farmers and for our insurance company. From the tornadoes and hail storms in the spring to the drought during the summer on to Hurricane Irene’s appearance in the fall, both industries—agriculture and insurance—took a hit.

Our farmers epitomize resilience and determination—as does the insurance company they chartered in 1953. Dr. Seuss expresses their spirit in a whimsical way: “I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me.”

The tornadoes and hail came from behind with little warning and Irene attacked from ahead, as forecast on television and radio.

But we’re Farm Bureau. Like all strong families, we pull together when catastrophe strikes.

Although farm income will be hurt, most of those farmers who provide our food and fiber will persevere. For that, they deserve our gratitude and respect.

Agriculture will recover, as will North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. Farm Bureau comprises a team of winners: visionary management led by a board whose focus is on our policyholders, a dedicated home office staff, and a professional, caring force of almost 850 agents across our state. I express my appreciation to all of our agents and employees for their many extra efforts in meeting the needs of our members in the aftermath of the 2011 storms.

But, we certainly are not alone. Many people in our state are suffering during this holiday season from the aftermath of natural disasters or from the foreclosures and joblessness resulting from the nation’s struggling economy. Some are hungry; many have lost homes; others require medical attention. Numbers and percentages become very personal when they are describing you or members of your family and friends.

This year, above all else, I encourage Farm Bureau members to make an extra effort to help those in need. There are a number of worthwhile organizations to which we can give with confidence, knowing our contributions will reach those who lack the necessities of life. Let’s remember that while we offer thanks during Thanksgiving for our blessings, the Christmas season is all about giving.

As the New Year approaches, Farm Bureau will move forward. We will move forward with vision, with preparation and with steadfast faith. The year 2012 is a new one with new opportunities, and yes, new challenges.

Because the state’s greatest asset is its people, good health is a basic requirement for economic viability and success. Many rural areas in North Carolina are not receiving the professional healthcare they need and deserve. In fact, in most rural areas of the state, the medical needs greatly outweigh the number of doctors, clinics and hospitals available.

As a responsible corporate partner, North Carolina Farm Bureau recognized this unfilled need and implemented the Healthy Living mobile health program as a way to not only help farmers, but rural residents and families. Because diet is a major factor in the health of any community, we need healthy and prosperous farms. To have healthy farms, we need healthy farmers.

Keeping people working also plays an important role in maintaining rural economies. Issues such as chronic pain, high blood pressure and amputations due to diabetes are common conditions around which people still need to find ways to secure income.

Farm Bureau has a long history of giving back to rural communities. That’s why North Carolina Farm Bureau established the Healthy Living for a Lifetime initiative in 2010. Through early detection, follow-up health support and the establishment of healthy lifestyle habits, this initiative will increase long-term employability among participants. It will also help rural residents find local medical homes or ongoing health services.

The results of the screenings have been that while about 75 percent of participants identified themselves as being in good or excellent health, more than 70 percent were actually overweight or obese. Moreover, a significantly higher percentage of this population was at high risk for obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure when compared to national averages.

In addition to the screenings, the events have brought together many of the county’s health and health support services in one place. The people who have passed through screening stations were able to discuss their results with medical professionals and learn about health and wellness resources in their county.

A lack of doctors and other medical professionals is a common problem in rural areas, but related problems also hinder access to healthcare for many rural residents. Those problems can include lack of transportation, lack of knowledge about cost resources, and other issues.

Rural America comprises approximately 25 percent of the nation’s population, yet it experiences higher poverty rates, fewer doctors and poorer health. More than 18 percent of North Carolinians are uninsured and the number is rising. Compared to their urban counterparts, the state’s rural residents have less access to quality health care, higher poverty rates, fewer new jobs and a lack of critical knowledge of health prevention and wellness.

That’s why North Carolina Farm Bureau’s Healthy Living for a Lifetime initiative is vital to the farmers and rural residents of the state. Together, we can make a difference.
Follow the Healthy Living for a Lifetime mobile trailer and check the schedule for visits to your area at: www.healthylivingforalifetime.com.

On April 4 and 5, thunder and hail storms affected thousands of our members near or in Charlotte, Greensboro, Forest City and Hickory. Property damages alone were in the tens of millions of dollars. As if that weren’t enough, these same areas were again hit with a more severe storm on April 9 and 10.

Numerous tornadoes then shredded everything in their path through nearly two dozen counties in Eastern North Carolina on April 16 and 17. These tornadoes alone resulted in hundred of millions of dollars in damages to homes and businesses, not to mention the incalculable toll on the families who lost loved ones.

For those who have suffered from the storms and tornadoes, we offer our heartfelt sympathies. The employees working in North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, many of whom suffered tornado and storm damages themselves, have been working almost nonstop to help our policyholders get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.

As a family of companies, we have also reached out and made donations to some of the many organizations that have been working to help clear debris and offer needed supplies and support to the victims of these natural disasters. We have also offered information about additional venues of assistance to those impacted.

While the difficult emotional and physical task of recovering from these storms continues, Farm Bureau’s mission remains clear.

North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation was established in 1936 to offer farmers a unified voice to protect their rights in the legislative arena, so they could provide the food and fiber required by the general population.
Having found its legislative voice, Farm Bureau branched out to further help its members in 1953 by establishing its most popular member service program—NCFB Mutual Insurance Company. The reason for this new member service was to help provide a safety net for the tens of thousands of farmers and rural residents who could not get insurance coverage because the companies that existed wouldn’t accept the risk.

Since that time, Farm Bureau’s agricultural advocacy mission has been a separate mission from its insurance operations. They are, in fact, two separate organizations with different responsibilities. Yet, they exist under the same family of companies.

As a non-profit organization, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation is an advocacy organization with the mission of helping farmers and rural residents improve their quality of life through legislative representation and member services.

NCFB Federation is a grassroots, policy-driven organization with a presence in all of the state’s 100 counties. Our members develop policy on a wide range of issues. We closely follow legislative action in the General Assembly and Congress based on the guidance provided by those policy positions.

NCFB Insurance helps our members improve their quality of life by reducing their risk and helping them recover from devastating events, such as April’s natural disasters. But, our insurance agents are independent contractors with no connection to the federation’s policy making process. They sell and service insurance. They don’t make policy decisions.

The structure established by our founding members 75 years ago is still working. Over the years, it has been questioned, evaluated and examined by state and federal regulators and found to be in strict compliance with all laws and governing regulations.

Through the scrutiny, however, our mission remains unchanged—to help farmers and rural families. We remain committed to helping our 520,000 member families live better lives now, as well as plan appropriately for the future.

It has been estimated that three trade agreements, The Korea, Colombia and Panama free trade agreements (FTAs), combined could represent nearly $3 billion of additional agriculture exports for the nation’s farmers.

For their part, Farm Bureau’s volunteer leaders have helped lead the statewide charge from North Carolina to help garner support for passage of the Colombia, Panama and Korea FTAs.

Farm Bureau county presidents, state and county Farm Bureau board members, as well as YF&R committees and women’s committees were recently asked to promote these trade agreements to their members of Congress.

This strategic effort to urge Congress to pass the Colombia, Panama and Korea FTAs was in response to American Farm Bureau’s launch of the “Trade Matters” campaign. This campaign was a true grassroots campaign, with local leaders rising to the call for support.

As the sparkplugs that start the engine of the state and nation’s largest general farm organizations, Farm Bureau volunteer leaders were needed immediately to communicate with legislators about the importance of expanding North Carolina’s international trading opportunities. And they have responded, but there is still much to be done.

This is another example of how Farm Bureau is working to help improve the quality of life for the farmers and rural residents of North Carolina. Yet it is also an instance of how something good for farmers also provides opportunity for the rest of the state to prosper.

World demand is increasing, but so is competition among suppliers.  If North Carolina’s farmers and food industry are to compete successfully for the export opportunities of the 21st century, they need fair trade and more open access to growing global markets.

American Farm Bureau has also worked to educate and provide outreach services to its 6.28 million member families across the nation. Throughout the great state of North Carolina, there are nearly 53,000 financially active farms that could potentially benefit from an increase in the state’s export fortunes, which can only be brought about through trade deals that benefit America’s export to import ratio.

The U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement would immediately eliminate duties on nearly two-thirds of current U.S. agricultural exports to Korea and give U.S. exporters improved access to the Korean market for many products that have been highly protected.

The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that annual U.S. agricultural exports to Korea will increase by a minimum of $1.9 billion upon full implementation of the agreement. The agreement eliminates tariffs and other barriers on most agricultural products, increasing export opportunities for a range of North Carolina agricultural products, including poultry, hogs and pork, soybeans and products, and cotton.

Nor th Carolina’s agricultural exports to all countries, estimated at $2.9 billion in 2009, supported about 24,400 jobs, on and off the farm. These export sales make an important contribution to the North Carolina farm economy, which had total cash receipts of $9.2 billion in 2009.

Many other representatives of the U.S. food and agriculture industry, outside of Farm Bureau, have clearly stated their support for swift passage of the pending U.S. trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama. A partial list of the supporters is as follows:

National Association of Manufacturers
Coalition of Service Industries
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Caterpillar
American Soybean Association
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
Corn Refiners Association (CRA)
The Dow Chemical Company
The National Foreign Trade Council

This year’s long session will find the state’s 47 newly elected legislators acquainting themselves with the people, issues and rules that govern our state and its laws. The session will also provide many opportunities
for Farm Bureau members to get to know their new lawmakers or simply become reacquainted with their legislative friends.

Fortunately for farmers, rural residents and urban dwellers alike, the state’s largest general farm organization has always worked with legislators across both sides of the aisle as a regular part of its advocacy mission. After all, agriculture’s farming and rural issues are not partisan ones by nature.

The main issue facing the state’s 120 representatives and 50 senators is, of course, the $2.2 billion to $3.7 billion budget deficit. North Carolina residents, both urban and rural, would like to see a legislature that works together to help bring the state out the economic drought. There are many tough decisions to be made, and Farm Bureau is going to be right there to offer advice to help farmers and rural communities. As the debate grows, Farm Bureau staff will be watching and providing technical assistance to members of the General Assembly.

In early February, more than 200 of our volunteer leaders visited their members of the North Carolina House and Senate. We visited the legislature to let them know that agriculture, forestry and agribusiness
combined is still the largest industry in the state, generating more than $74 billion in annual cash receipts. Without farmers, the economy and all of us would be much worse off.

Like every small business, farmers need to stay organized in order to protect their rights. From our perspective, when the state keeps laws and regulations fair for farmers, it is really protective and beneficial for the general public.

Some of the main issues of concern farmers discussed with their legislators included animal care, the budget deficit, property rights, regulatory fairness and water policy.

While the start of the 2011-12 session represented another in a row of billion-dollar budget deficits, it also made history with a significant first: Republicans claimed control of both houses of the General Assembly for the first time since 1898. In the N.C. House, there are 67 Republicans, 52 Democrats, and one unaffiliated member. In the N.C. Senate, there are 31 Republicans and 19 Democrats.

The GOP majority elected N.C. Rep. Thom Tillis, of Mecklenburg County, and N.C. Sen. Phil Berger, of Rockingham County, as the top leaders in their respective chambers.

North Carolina Farm Bureau has been working with both Republican and Democratic leaders throughout its 75-year history in the state because food impacts everyone. Accordingly, Farm Bureau of North Carolina has focused on working with the lawmakers who can best impact the laws, regulations and policies that affect the ability of the state’s 52,000 farmers to grow, distribute and earn a living from the land. We will continue to follow this philosophy in order to best represent our members.
Larry Wooten
NCFB President

While Farm Bureau is considered an expert, grassroots source for developing policy concerning food, we are also heavily involved in planning for water sources in the state, as well as making sure our members remain able to breathe clearly in order to live healthy lifestyles.

Today’s Farm Bureau is the unified voice of agriculture in representing farmers and the industry in the state legislature and the U.S. Congress. Yet, lobbying is not Farm Bureau’s sole policy mandate.

This year, for example, Farm Bureau launched its Healthy Living for a Lifetime initiative, which provides health care screenings to the general public at no cost to those who choose to take advantage of this vital service.

To this end, North Carolina Farm Bureau introduced Healthy Living for a Lifetime in five locations across the state during 2010. We’re proud to announce that this program continues into 2011 and beyond, with at least a dozen more free health screening events already planned.

As McDowell County Farm Bureau President James Nations says in the Healthy Living for a Lifetime story in this issue, the initiative is a perfect example of what Farm Bureau stands for—helping its members and rural residents wherever and however it is able.

When our members pay $25 for their annual membership dues, they now have even more reason to feel good about their money going to a good cause. Not only are we helping the estimated 20 percent of North Carolina’s rural residents who don’t have health insurance, but we also help educate rural students through our many educational initiatives such as the Ag in the Classroom program, two Institutes for Future Ag Leaders, our R. Flake Shaw Scholarships, which help fund the college educations of more than two dozen students, and our contributions to 4-H and FFA.

But with the support of our members, we are always looking to help. State government is facing another multibillion-dollar deficit, and everything we can do to help the state’s residents stay healthy is good for everyone, state Rep. Mitch Gillespie says in the same article. “Everything we can do to make people more aware of healthy living lifestyles saves money for all of us,” he says.

The Healthy Living story in this issue of the magazine will help spread the word about this new Farm Bureau initiative. But, we also need the help of our membership to spread the word and help fulfill this part of our mission.

So, I encourage you to read the story and check the website listed in the article for more information about Healthy Living events. Then, help spread the word by letting your family, friends and neighbors know about this opportunity to begin or continue living a healthy lifestyle. If you do, we will all benefit.

North Carolina Farm Bureau seeks to offer a measure of reassurance by pointing to 75 years of fulfilling our mission: improving the quality of life for agricultural and rural families across the state. Our organization has been blessed, leading to our commitment to GIVE BACK to North Carolina. We do so in many ways.
We are the unified voice of agriculture, representing the industry’s concerns in our state’s legislature and in the U.S. Congress. It takes profitable and productive farmers to ensure the abundance of safe and affordable food.

We are the experienced and professional agents, adjustors and employees who live and work in the communities we serve. North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company strives to protect lives and property, safeguarding the futures of thousands of North Carolina families.

We are the conscience that demands health care resources be available to as many people in our state as possible. The launch of Farm Bureau’s Healthy Living for a Lifetime initiative, which provides health care screenings at no cost to the residents of rural communities, has proven a tremendous success already.

We are grassroots energy within our state’s educational system. We deliver Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program. We host the Institutes for Future Ag Leaders at North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University. We also sponsor 28 university and community college scholarships each year.

We are the contributions to 4-H and FFA programs, to youth livestock shows and to the promotion of agriculture at our state fairs. We embrace our role as part of the business community in every county, as evidenced by the large number of sponsorships by local Farm Bureaus and our agents.

The Farm Bureau footprint is large across North Carolina. Our Board of Directors, our Employees, and all of our Companies feel the responsibility each day to provide service that makes a difference within our state. Farm Bureau must be synonymous with the words service, integrity and compassion. These qualities will help North Carolina Farm Bureau assure a more secure 2011.

During this Holiday and Christmas Season, we wish you and your family peace, good health and a renewed appreciation of the important things in life.

Today’s farmers are under intense pressure to grow more on fewer acres, reduce their impact on the environment under more expensive-to-implement regulations, and satisfy consumers needs, all while trying to earn a living. This is on top of the uncertainty of weather and market conditions universal in the farm industry.

Like many of the industries and modern conveniences most of us rely upon and enjoy, the practice of modern agriculture, while technologically advanced, still contributes nitrous oxide and methane to the other greenhouse gases created by civilization. Yet, it now seems that agriculture is actually being credited with preventing greenhouse gases.

California’s Stanford University released research recently stating that, in part, “advances in high-yield agriculture during the latter part of the 20th century prevented massive amounts of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere—the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.”

Basically the research shows what many in the agricultural industry have known for years—by reducing the need to convert forests to farmland, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are never formed. Without research helping to improve agricultural yields, the study estimates there would have been an 18 to 34 percent increase in the total amount of greenhouse gases created over the past 155 years.

When it comes to any climate change legislation, it should be remembered that farmers cannot pass along the increased costs associated with increased regulatory mandates. It is also important to remember that researchers predict the world’s population will require food production to more than double over the next 50 years.

North Carolina has been losing farmland faster than the national average. From 2002–05, North Carolina led the nation in the loss of farmland and forest land. Preserving farmland will continue to be a challenge. The best way to preserve farmland is through profitable farming operations.

North Carolina ranks prominently in the national rankings in poultry and livestock production—the state is second nationally in cash receipts for hogs and turkeys and fifth for broilers (chickens).

Overall, farmers in North Carolina have certainly become more efficient producers as technology has allowed it, while also maintaining their commitment to protecting not only the air, but water and land quality.

Farm Bureau exists to improve the quality of life for farmers and to maintain the economic viability of agriculture, yet to also help growers protect and advance the environmental quality of their operations.

This disconnect is happening as the result of the success of the American food industry. It is the fact that we’ve made it so easy to grab a meal that many people are disconnecting. Many North Carolinians are fortunate enough to not worry about food security, so they probably never consider the matrix of economic cycles being held together by the roots of food production.

It is not until the holiday season or during an emergency or natural disaster that the average person may even pause from their busy life and consider the logistics of providing basic food and water to those in need somewhere else hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

The truth is the availability of safe, nutritious food doesn’t just happen like sunrise and sunset; it takes long-term planning based on well-developed policy positions.

The land disconnect phenomenon, however, is not a sign of disrespect or an insult to the farmers who work so hard to produce the bread, protein, fresh produce and dairy products that help feed the world’s population. North Carolina produced nearly 50 percent of the nation’s sweet potatoes, almost 9 percent of its broiler chickens and 8 percent of its blueberries during 2008.

It is more of an opportunity for us to try and help people remember how once upon a time, practically everyone farmed to live. They had to grow greens and peas and raise some livestock or they didn’t eat. Many families traded with their neighbors to keep things fresh and enjoy a product that didn’t exactly sprout to life in their soil. Just like the past, the future must also embrace this local food model.

With the help of transportation, technology and the improved convenience of our food supply, more than 98 percent of the U.S. population now doesn’t actively grow enough food to feed one person—much less the 100 or more that can be served by a single modern farmer. That leaves less than two percent of the population to feed the rest, and they do more than an above average job of working with all variables to ultimately make the right choices to grow our food.

There is a trust that society has placed upon each grower. The vast majority of farmers take this unspoken contract seriously and with the best of intentions. However, as with any profession, a random bad actor is often displayed as an industry portrait to the larger society via the media and other communications channels.

Because this trust exists, however, it is farmers who will respond to the United Nations advanced warning to the governments of the world. We will need 70 percent more food within 40 years. It will take all the good farmers—large, medium and small—under agriculture’s big tent to feed the world’s estimated 9 billion people by 2050.