President's Message

The Gillespie County Farm Bureau is your “Voice for Agriculture and Rural Issues.” The modern Texas Farm Bureau was established in 1933 and the Gillespie County chapter was established in1946. Texas Farm Bureau boasts more than 400,000 members and our county has over 2,500 members. We are a voice to be heard on any issue that affects our farmers, ranchers and rural citizens.

2009 will be a challenging year for all of us in the Texas Hill Country. We are in the middle of the worst drought since the 1950s and the U.S. economy is in turmoil. All this means to Texas farmers and ranchers is "we just have to work smarter and harder." This is the attitude of your Gillespie County Farm Bureau.

Your board of directors is always looking for new and better ways to help our members. As most of you are doing right now, we're cutting expenses, inventing new revenue sources and adapting our business plans. GCFB has been working with every one of our vendors to cut costs and improve productivity. We have increased our "sweat equity" investment in money-making projects such as the Wild Game Dinner and Livestock Marketing Seminars...all of which return donations back to our organization. In this way, we have been able to not only maintain our community contributions, but add to them.

I often wonder how many of our members really know how their dues are spent and about all the things we do. We don't advertise our contributions very much, so I'd like to mention just a few. Many of you know about the trade school and academic scholarships–over $4,000 this year. Some of you know about the seminars we offer–Livestock Marketing, Wildlife Management, Predator Control, Toxic Plants, etc. What you may not see, however, is our involvement in "Ag Day" for all the elementary fourth to sixth graders; "Ag in the Classroom," where we instruct elementary school teachers with lesson plans in agricultural science projects; or the $1,000 we give to support the sale at our Youth Livestock Show. GCFB also sponsors Firemen's Training School students, Youth Baseball teams, Summer Teacher Workshop attendees, Young Farmer and Rancher Program attendees (a two-year educational program), Ag Leadership School, and Farm Bureau Queen and Court scholarships. I could go on.

In addition to the funds we raise, you will see our board members and office asistants volunteering their time and knowledge everywhere in the community. Farm Bureau has many more interests than just farming and ranching. You have probably heard or read about input we provide on water issues, property rights, eminent domain, education, politics, energy issues like transmission lines and wind turbines, drought relief, prescribed burning and many more. Your Gillespie County Farm Bureau is the voice for agriculture...and all issues that affect rural Texas.

I sincerely hope that each of you is as proud of what Farm Bureau does for our community as I am. I also hope you approve of how we invest your membership dues and will ask your friends to join us in protecting rural Texas. On this website, click on "Join Us' to become a member. Take advantage of our member benefits, both local and statewide. You can reach me, or any of our board members, via phone. Just call 830.997.4396 or email sschumann@txfb-ins.com.

It is an honor to serve the members and citizens of Gillespie County.

Sincerely,
Elgin Pape
President, Gillespie County Farm Bureau