Influence of One Man

I've started this blog in my head several times. It's important and I didn't want to miss something important in thanking Doug Breese for his decades of service to the Crook County community and the Crook-Wheeler County Farm Bureau.

Doug-  Your countless hours and years of service to our community in Crook County and to Farm Bureau have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. I for one want to give you  a heartfelt thank you for letting me volunteer with you and your board at Farm Bureau events when I was in high school. You and your board gave me the opportunity to have experiences that widened my viewpoint and let me do things I never would have been able to do on my own. My career and leadership development is a testimony to your service and dedication to Farm Bureau and your investment in your community and the youth. I will never be able to fully thank you for the impact that you have had on my life. - Thank you, Elizabeth Foster.

I saw Doug this summer walking down the street with his wife. They were either headed to lunch or from lunch back to the office. I wanted to honk and wave but I knew he wouldn't recognize the new truck or possibly even me- it's been over 25 years since I've lived full time there. I did however think to myself- there goes the guy who impacted my career and doesn't even realize it. And I want to have what he has when I’m his age. Not the bank account, or the awards or even the herd size. I want to make an impactful difference in some person’s life.

This Fall, the Crook-Wheeler County Farm Bureau President in Oregon retired. It's not something new in any organization but when my dad mentioned it I reflected back on Doug Breese's years of service. Over the course of many rotations through the leadership both county and state, he served the county Farm Bureau for 40 plus years. Farm Bureau and service is in his DNA. He wasn't the first Breese family member to serve and he won't be the last. I know his parents and son spent many hours serving both the state and community through Farm Bureau. And Doug, like any volunteer leader will tell you, he didn't do anything special, he just filled in because no one else would do the job. But- and here's the kicker- the humble service attitude of showing up and helping out changes people's lives. They don't get paid to do these positions. They might get at trip to the state or national meetings paid for but that means they are missing time from their farm or ranch, someone else is picking up the slack back home and they might be missing out on school programs, 4-H or FFA meetings or just plain time with family. We ask a lot of our members and sometimes it doesn't seem like it's worth the sacrifice. But let me tell you it is. You could substitute Doug for anyone in any of the county Farm Bureau's or other groups across the country and I bet you could find someone who has had their life changed because of them.

Doug and his parents and the Crook-Wheeler County Farm Bureau changed my life. My family couldn't afford to join the Farm Bureau until the last five or six years. I'm sure my grandma was a member but we weren't involved so I didn't have the leadership opportunities our young members have today through Young Farmer and Rancher or the Women's Leadership or Promotion and Education committees. My life changing moment's that Doug Breese represents and spearheaded came from FFA. There are tons of opportunities in the FFA to learn and experience things. I was never the best prepared public speaker, skills contest, Ag Sales team member but I learned skills that at the time I thought were fun and helpful never realizing the time and money the local Farm Bureau and Doug Breese were giving me were going to lead me down my eventual career path. Not in the sense of, I learned a skill and later used that for my career but in the sense of this experience gave me the resume to get me to the next level.

I've been with Farm Bureau for almost 19 years. It's a good organization and I'm blessed to work with some of the best people in the world. Just like other staff at other Farm Bureaus or even other volunteer, non-government organizations you spend countless hours helping those in the industry with whom you work with. For me it's always been about agriculture. My family has always been ranchers and unfortunately the land could not support two families so I took an off-ranch job out of college. And as I look back at all those years and see all the people who I've worked alongside of all these years, I, like them sometimes wonder if all the effort, and time given to groups such as Farm Bureau and FFA and fill in the blank are worth it. Did we make a difference. And I'm going to have to say yes. You may not see it the impact because it takes years and sometimes those who you have changed their lives or made their lives better from your work have moved many miles or states away.

As I said earlier, my family wasn't a Farm Bureau member because that was an expense we couldn't really afford when we were scraping together money for food and utilities. I took an animal to fair each year, not for the fun of it but as the necessary means of buying school supplies and clothes. I didn't have a first day of school outfit because our fair checks came a few weeks after school started. My FFA career gave me opportunities that at the time were new and not something our chapter or kids from my school necessarily did. It wasn't common to send kids to National FFA Convention or to leadership conferences like Washington Leadership Conference (it was called Washington Conference Program when I was in high school). My sophomore year, my advisor suggested I go to the National FFA Convention. It was in Kansas City and I knew there would be no way I could attend- we couldn't afford it. The local Farm Bureau was going to be working the hospital's foundation auction . They asked the FFA to help and I volunteered because if I did, they would give money to the chapter for us to go to convention. That one act of partnering with the local FFA chapter changed my future. They went on to have us help them with other events or programs and continued to sponsor kids to go to events. I later went to the leadership conference in Washington D.C because they gave us opportunities to volunteer with them  I was short of funds, Doug offered to let us transplant mint fields.

I tell you all this because the skills I gained in FFA being able to participate in things built my  I in college I had the opportunity to interview and be appointed to fill a spot on the student council for the remaining year. In the interview I shared all the things I had done in FFA and the community events I participated in. I was told the reason they appointed me was my FFA experience. A year later because of the FFA experience and the partial year on the council I was the one assigned to represent students on the college Board of Education. That lead to other leadership roles when I transfered to the university.

After college, I moved to Arizona and six months later I was working at Farm Bureau. I'm on my fourth position at Farm Bureau and I've spent a few years working with the FFA here in the state and many years volunteering with local FFA chapters judging contests and supporting programs. I believe in the FFA but I know I would not have the love and passion for FFA or agriculture if the local county Farm Bureau had not been as supportive of the local FFA chapter.

I attended a Crook-Wheeler County Farm Bureau board meeting a few years ago. A couple of the people were the same from when I was in high school back in the early 90's and a few were new but the board and the meeting could have taken place anywhere. Farmers and ranchers are a special group of people. They have always come together when a community needs them- even when the community is across the state or across the country. They show up to plant a field for a neighbor who is taking care of his sick wife, they ship hay to fire ravaged areas to help a fellow rancher or they invest in the kids because you never know which kid you are going to radically change their life.

I know I wouldn't have ended back on the ranch after high school but the Farm Bureau gave me opportunities as a FFA student. I thought of college and then I dreamed of being at the University and then finding my niche in my own career with Farm Bureau. So I hope one day when I retire, a kid comes along and says what I want to say to Doug Breese.

Doug and his wife Jean being recognized by Oregon Farm Bureau. Photo credit: Oregon Farm Bureau.

The Power Behind Us

A couple days ago I was reading a Bible Study about the transition of leadership between Moses and Joshua and the Israelites as they were in the desert. They were crossing the Jordan river at flood capacity and just like when they crossed the Red Sea, God held up the waters and the entire group was able to cross over on dry land.

In it, the author made the following statement, "The leadership has changed but the power behind the leaders is the same."  Sometimes when I read scripture or a devotion it reminds me of something in my life either personal or work related. This one struck me as work related. In the last two years we have had a lot of change at work both on the national and state level. In my personal life there has been change as well.  This statement and the passage that supported the devotion made me think alot about the leadership changes we are experiencing.

Two years ago the national level of my work selected a new president and a few months ago we, at the state level also selected a new president. We as a nation a year ago selected a new leader as president. All of these changes in leadership does not change the character of the organization or nation because we as a group are the power behind the leader. Just as God was the power behind the leaders Joshua and Moses there is power behind the new leaders. In the organization, it's the volunteer leader. They are the ones who vote on policy directions and determine the steps of the organization, the president is important and leads the way and makes sure all voices are heard but they can not accomplish their goals without the power of the volunteer force behind them. It's incredible to have the behind the scenes view point to see the work put in by the leaders in the organization. They dedicate hours to making sure the goals are being met and continue to strive to make the group better.

I personally have been through three presidents at the state level. They all have dedicated years, sometimes decades to leading the organization as county leaders then as state leaders before taking the reins as president. I know the first president worked hard to make sure the organization was financially sound and helped grow the staff from just a few people several. We are a small state as it goes in membership and staffing but we are mighty. I sometimes think that having a smaller staff gives us an advantage because so many of us are cross-trained in so many different areas, we get to live outside our job descriptions because we all pitch in for planning events and programs that might not be in our area. With smaller counties, our leaders also get more opportunities to participate in events and programs because they can become board members, committee members or program chairs quicker than some of the larger states. It doesn't mean smaller groups are better or worse than their larger counterparts. They are all part of the larger organization and part of the continuing strength and power of the organization.

The second president lead the organization into the digital age and from a staff perspective included the entire staff. He would walk down the hall and stop and visit with staff, not just directors but field staff, writers and admins. It was nice to feel included in the organization to be part of the inner workings of how the group was operating. It also allowed him to hear and see what happening within the volunteers as well as participate and "press the flesh" with the members. I see this with the national president as well. I really like that he has continued to get out to the states and visit with members just as his predecessor did and take it to a new level.

Our new president at the state level I know will continue to make the organization great because she understands the volunteer power and I'm looking forward to watching from the sideline to see her lead the group with the same power and strength that her predecessors have.

Just as there were struggles in the desert with the Israelites and they sometimes feared the unknown they had the power behind them and change is hard. It's much easier to stick with what we know even if we don't like it and its hard than to step out and trust there is something better and to walk to distance to achieve it. We just have to remember that in the journey there is power behind us. It can come from our faith, our community and the volunteer members who believe in the organization and work to build a better community or organization. Just because there is a new leader doesn't mean the power is new, it's always been there, it's constant and it doesn't change.