Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

“The organization has members. Any person may be a county Farm Bureau member. All county Farm Bureau members have voting rights and the same access to member benefits.”

“The organizations members elect the Board of Directors.”

“Certain rights are reserved to members of the organization, including: 1) elect the Board of Directors, including the voting delegate to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, 2) adopt amendments to the Articles of Incorporation, and 3) adopt amendments to those bylaws designated as member bylaws.”

“Management reviews the documents and presents the return to all members of the governing body. Following final board approval, the return is signed by an officer and submitted to the IRS.”

“On an annual basis, all officers, directors, and key employees are required to sign a statement which affirms that they have: 1) received a copy of the conflict of interest policy, 2) read and understood the policy, 3) agreed to comply with the policy, 4) understand that the Organization is tax-exempt and in order to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities which accomplish its tax-exempt purpose. A sub-committee, comprised of non-conflicted Board of Directors, annually receives all conflict of interest information, reviews, and determines if there are conflicts of interest. The committee then reports its findings back to the Board.”

“The Organization does not make its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, or financial statements available for public inspection. Pursuant to state law, some documents may be available to members.”

“Part III, Line 4a - Policy Development - The County Farm Bureau asked members to surface and prioritize issues that are important to local agricultural operations. They then created an opinionnaire to be distributed to the membership to gauge the importance of local, state, and national issues. The county developed county resolutions of importance to be delivered by the Voting Delegate to the State Delegate Body. Member leaders also engaged with local, state, and national elected officials to lobby for the policies important to the agricultural community.”

“Part III, Line 4b - County Promotions - In 2024, Benton County Farm Bureau awarded four students scholarships to put towards their college tuition/expenses. They also reimbursed two Benton County teachers who attended a teacher workshop put on by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation. They attended this workshop to receive renewal credits for their teaching license. For National Ag Week, they also donated a bundle of books to each public library in Benton County. This included 16 books donated to the 11 public libraries in Benton County.”

“Part III, Line 4c - Education and AITC - The organization communicated with teachers, educators, and schools, promoting resources and grant opportunities available to incorporate agriculture into the classrooms. The Outreach Coordinator provided lesson plans for students and teachers through monthly lessons and handouts. The Ag in the Classroom program reached 842 students through classroom lessons and community events.”

“John Ritscher and Robert Ritscher have a family relationship.”