The mission of the Arizona Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee is to develop women's individual talents as leaders through involvement in a variety of programs. These programs are directed toward leadership development, political influence, and promotion of Arizona Agriculture through education in the classroom and in the community.

Women play a significant role in agriculture and in Farm Bureau. The number of women serving as principal operators of farms and ranches has increased 11.2 percent nationwide. As women take a more active role in production, they also find the importance of becoming more involved in organizations that represent farmers and ranchers.

Telling the story of agriculture in a factual and engaging manner is an ongoing effort of the Arizona Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee

To contact the Arizona Women's Leadership Committee chair, call Sharla Mortimer at 928.925.8721 or smortimer@commspeed.net.

 

Women's Leadership Committee delivered Arizona-grown apple pies from Apple Annie's in Willcox to each Arizona State  Legislators' office during the 2011 Food Check-out week.

NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace was on hand to help deliver the pies and tell Legislators that Arizona Farm Bureau's Food Check-Out Week helps Arizona families learn how to stretch their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food.

Arizona Farm Bureau members that delivered pies are: Sharla Mortimer, Dewey; Linda Merrell, Duncan; Sonia Gasho, Pearce; Wendy  & Cameron Cavalliere, Yucca; Vickie Parks, Flagstaff; Diann Prechel, Casa Grande; Jean McGrath, Peoria, Sheila Van Hofwegen, Tolleson, Sine Kerr, Buckeye, Janice Bryson, Buckeye and Peggy Jo Goodfellow, Mesa.

 

Purpose: To enthusiastically promote the involvement and leadership of women in fulfilling the mission of Farm Bureau.

2012 Photography-Poetry-Essay Contest 

This annual contest opens February 1, 2012 to any amateur photographer or writer who is a member of a County Farm Bureau in Arizona. A first prize will be awarded in each of the four categories in each medium- Photo, essay, poem.

To enter complete and return the entry form by midnight on April 30, 2012.

For more information, contact Peggy Jo Goodfellow at 480.635.3609 or peggyjogoodfellow@azfb.org.

Ag in the Classroom is a program to help school children and teachers learn about agriculture and how their food, fiber and ornamental crops are produced. The focus for Women's Leadership Committee (WLC) is to get into as many classes as possible. The purpose will be to teach them something about agriculture and help the teacher learn how to use agriculture in teaching reading, writing and math using farm facts, weights and measures and observations.

For more information, contact Katie Aikins at 480.635.3608 or email to katieaikins@azfb.org .
 

The Book Barn Ag Lending Library

The Arizona Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom has developed an Ag lending library for grades K-4. This project allows students to learn literacy through agriculture and agriculture through literacy.

The lending libraries are housed in a barn box and each contains 21 books. The

se libraries are available to teachers FREE of charge and on a 2-week basis.

The following counties have a lending library: Apache, Coconino, Graham, Greenlee, LaPaz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai and Yuma.  There is also one located at the Arziona Farm Bureau office in Gilbert.

Teachers are required to pick up the learning library and return it to either the county location they picked it up from or the Arizona Farm Bureau office in Gilbert.  Each library will contain master copies of worksheets and literacy type activities for the teachers to copy and do with their students.

For more information, contact Katie Aikins at 480.635.3608 or email to katieaikins@azfb.org.

The Educator Award is a special project of the Arizona Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee.  The purpose of this program is to provide travel expense funds to an educator employed by a school system to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference for the purpose of using the information gained from the conference to expand their outreach to students regarding the food and fiber system.

Download the award application form and guidelines for submission by March 15, 2012.

For more information, call PeggyJo Goodfellow at 480.635.3609 or peggyjogoodfellow@azfb.org.

Annual Fund Raising Event.... Auction Block
The Women's Leadership Committee will hold "The Auction Block"  November 10, 2011  at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park during the Arizona Farm Bureau annual meeting. As their largest annual fund raising event, the auction generates fun and some good-natured competition. Past auction items include: wagons filled with toys, quilts, leather goods, clocks, framed prints, candles, handmade baby items and the ever-popular toy tractor.

For more information about this program contact, Peggy Jo Goodfellow, Marketing Manager/ WLC Program Coordinator at 480.635.3609 or email   peggyjogoodfellow@azfb.org.