Last week, Mikayla, DEFB Assistant Executive Director, and Jaiden Cain, DEFB Membership and Outreach Coordinator, traveled to New Orleans, LA to attend the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Communications Conference (CommsCon) and Staff Institute.
The trip began with a visit to Fast Food Farms in Gramercy, LA, where they were treated to a delicious classic southern lunch. During the tour, they learned about their educational learning farm and their sugar cane operation. Louisiana is one of the leading states in sugar cane production and had the chance to see the unique equipment used for planting and harvesting.
CommsCon opened with an awards reception and continued with a full day of sessions the following day. Staff Institute, designed for all roles within a State Farm Bureau, rounded out the four-day conference. Presentations topics this year heavily focused on AI, and they both gained valuable insight into effectively using AI applications in their daily tasks and enjoyed learning from other State Farm Bureau staffers in similar roles.
They also had the opportunity to present at this year’s Staff Institute. Their session, Strengthening Ag Impact with External Support, focused on how to identify grants, connect with new partners and sponsors, and maximize the value of those partnerships.
