- This event has passed.
2020 Annual Meeting
December 5, 2020 - December 6, 2020
**IMPORTANT UPDATE**
Statement from MOFB President Blake Hurst on November 20 – –
“After much consideration, our organization’s leaders have decided to conduct Missouri Farm Bureau’s 2020 Annual Meeting virtually. We will still conduct Board and Officer elections on the previously scheduled date of Sunday, December 6. While we are still working out the technical details, we plan to enable voting delegates to cast votes via telephone. We also plan to conduct a virtual General Session on Saturday, December 5.
“This decision was extremely difficult. Face-to-face meetings are important to farmers, especially as they select leaders. However, the current status of the pandemic simply does not allow a large-scale meeting to be conducted safely. We look forward to gathering in 2021 to celebrate an annual meeting that is bigger and better than ever.”
Please see below for additional FAQs:
Will we have to re-register voting delegates?
County Farm Bureaus will need to finalize their list of voting delegates by 4:00 p.m. on November 25. The final list must be selected from the list of delegates and alternates already provided to the home office.
What information will you need for each voting delegate?
We will need an email address for each household and a telephone number for each voting delegate. Voting will take place on telephones so each voting delegate must have a unique telephone number. This information must be forwarded to Shannon Dravenstott at Shannon.Dravenstott@mofb.org by 4:00 p.m. on November 25. On Monday a list of information that was provided at registration will be sent to each county office for verification.
Will there be a role for alternates?
No. Once counties finalize their list of voting delegates there will be no role for alternates.
Do we have to cancel room reservations at Margaritaville?
No. All rooms will be canceled by Margaritaville. There is no need to contact Margaritaville directly.
Will there be refunds for meals?
Yes. There will be refunds provided for any meals already paid for.
Will the General Session be open to all members?
Yes. The General Session will take place via Zoom and members can use their smartphones, IPads, or computers to listen.
How will votes be taken and tallied?
On December 6, voting delegates will be called by the tele-town hall (TTH) service prior to the start of their respective district election and once again for the election for president. For security purposes only registered voting delegates will be called and able to vote in each election.
Voting delegates will listen as the parliamentarian outlines the voting process and conducts each election. When the parliamentarian calls for the vote, each voting delegate will be asked to press the button on their cell phone or landline that corresponds with a specific candidate. Voting will be anonymous with results being reported quickly. Oversight of the process will be conducted by the parliamentarian, MOFB’s Chief Financial Officer and Director of Administrative Services, and a representative selected by each of the three candidates for president.
A practice call involving all voting delegates will take place prior to December 6. As soon as the list of delegates is finalized all voting delegates will be provided with the date and time they will be called by the TTH service for the practice run.
What is the tentative voting schedule?
Sunday, December 6
Elections
12:00 District 1 Board Seat
12:30 District 2 Board Seat
1:00 District 3 Board Seat
1:30 District 4 Board Seat
2:00 South District At-Large
3:00 President & Other Elections if Needed
Will there be a resolutions process this year?
The state board will meet immediately following the conclusion of the virtual Annual Meeting to consider policy proposals put forth for consideration by the 2020 State Resolutions Committee (SRC). The board will consider the tentative proposals approved by SRC at their October meeting (this document is available to members by visiting the Member Portal). Policies approved by the state board will be forwarded to American Farm Bureau (AFBF) for consideration in their annual resolutions process. Time will be of the essence as we must submit recommendations to AFBF shortly following our virtual meeting; therefore, only policies that are time sensitive to the AFBF process or require immediate action for the upcoming General Assembly will be considered at that time.
All other changes that are not time sensitive will be considered in early January. A working group of state of board members will be appointed to consider other proposed changes from the State Resolutions Committee. The working group will work through each proposal in the tentative policy print and vote to advance the proposal or table it. The full board will ratify the recommended changes at their January 2021 meeting. Changes ratified by the board will be printed in the 2021 Policy Book. Any tabled items will be presented to the 2021 State Resolutions Committee for further consideration.
Will there be a County Presidents’ Meeting?
Not at this time. We anticipate providing county presidents with staff updates in coming weeks. Written handouts will be mailed or delivered to county presidents.
Will there be a 2020 MOFB Annual Report?
Yes. The annual report will be available at county Farm Bureau offices and electronically at the MOFB Annual Meeting portal.
Will Margaritaville offer the same room rates to MOFB members during the month of December?
Yes, Margaritaville has offered MOFB members a special room rate of $71 plus fees and taxes for a standard room guestroom, $145 plus fees and taxes for a one bedroom suite, and $230 plus fees and taxes for a two-room suites. These special rates are good during the month of December.
