Albemarle County and Nelson County Farm Bureaus were honored Dec. 1 by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation for projects conducted in their communities in 2021.
The two organizations were recognized at the 2021 VFBF Annual Meeting in Williamsburg.
Albemarle County Farm Bureau, whose president is Richard Fox, received a first-place VFBF County Award of Excellence.
The county Farm Bureau partnered with the Albemarle County assessor to determine how many residents were registered in the county’s Land Use Tax Deferral Program. Farm Bureau is a strong proponent of land use assessment-based taxation as a way to help agriculture and forestry survive in communities with higher tax rates.
Of 4,433 Albemarle County residents using the program, more than 2,100 were not Farm Bureau members. County volunteers and staff sent invitational letters and Farm Bureau membership information to 2,000 participants, asking them to consider joining the organization. The effort yielded 100 new memberships.
The VFBF County Award of Excellence second-place winner was Nelson County Farm Bureau, led by President William Mays.
Nelson Farm Bureau has a tradition of serving a prime rib and shrimp dinner to its members during the organization’s annual meeting. For the past two years, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced county leadership to hold the annual meeting virtually.
Instead of a sit-down dinner, a member appreciation event was held Sept. 25, featuring free ice cream, Farm Bureau ball caps, calendars, rain gauges and other giveaways. The items were distributed at a drive-up event at the county Farm Bureau office, and 51 members stopped by to collect their gifts.
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