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• Farm Science Labs: There was a tremendous amount of excitement in the organization about the farm science labs. The labs seem to have energized and engaged leaders and nurtured further collaboration with commodity groups, both of which are great things.
• Inclusion of the Agribusiness Community: We noted the agribusiness community seems to be welcome as engaged members of the organization. We appreciated that the organization looks outside the box for active volunteers. We heard there is a new executive director for the Michigan Agribusiness Council, so we encourage you to reach out to build a relationship with the new leader if you have not done so already.
• Budgeting Process: We were impressed that the organization is working on three-year budgets and five- to seven-year projections and financial analysis. This is evidence of thoughtful, long-term financial planning and should be commended. We also appreciated the intentional conversations that are happening to strategically manage financing among the companies.
• Focus on Employee Satisfaction & Retention: We were impressed by the company’s deliberate efforts to keep good employees by focusing on employee retention. Some of the efforts we noticed were flex time, family care leave, the option to work from home, competitive health insurance and the fitness center. We also appreciated the organization’s commitment to professional development for staff and the intention to create a path for the professional advancement of field representatives.
• Employee Onboarding: We applaud the onboarding process for new hires to expose them to key aspects of both the membership and insurance sides of the organization. The five-week Kick-Start program, which includes visits to a farm, a county Farm Bureau office and an insurance agency visit, seems like a great way to help new employees see the synergy in the family of companies.
• CAMs as State Employees: Though we understand that not all CAMs are state employees, we applaud efforts to employ and support the CAMs from the state office. Having CAMs as state employees, rather than county employees, helps manage liability and ensure consistency across the state. It also seems to encourage better alignment of roles and processes between the CAMs and the regional representatives.
• Agent Charitable Fund: We were interested to learn about the Agent’s Charitable Fund to End Hunger. What a great example of cross-company collaboration that is mission-related. We were curious though, where the fund fits within the structure of the foundation because it does not seem to be in sync with the other programs of the foundation.
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