#7: Interview with Tom Denman on County Annual Meetings - 11/12/2025

Summary

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Podcast Summary: New York Farm Bureau News Bytes

Episode #7: Interview with Tom Denman on County Annual Meetings

Date: November 12, 2025
Host: New York Farm Bureau
Guest: Tom Denman, Associate Director of Membership Development and Engagement

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the New York Farm Bureau spotlights the importance and purpose of County Annual Meetings across the state. Host interviews Tom Denman, who shares firsthand insights from his travels to more than 20 such meetings. The discussion centers on how County Annual Meetings foster grassroots advocacy, build networks among farmers and their communities, and surface pressing issues facing New York agriculture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Structure and Importance of County Annual Meetings

• Function and Format:
  • Each fall, 52 county farm bureaus convene, providing members an open forum to raise resolutions and discuss local agricultural issues.
  • Meetings are attended by farmers, producers, local politicians, and representatives from organizations like Cornell Cooperative Extension.
  • Quote [00:28]:

    "They get together and this is when it's an opportunity for them to raise resolutions and issues that are important to them as well as just get together." — Tom Denman

Predominant Issues and Regional Trends

• Trending Topics:
  • Solar energy developments and the related land use continue to be major talking points, alongside agricultural assessments and exemptions.
  • Geographic diversity brings unique local issues; for instance, the Hudson Valley is experiencing tensions around warehousing and urban expansion.
  • Quote [01:02]:

    "Consistency. I would say that solar continues to be a hot topic across the state, as well as ag assessments and ag exemptions." — Tom Denman

The Value of Debate and Diverse Perspectives

• Healthy Disagreement:
  • Engaged, lively debate is encouraged, leading to more robust advocacy efforts and idea sharing.
  • Regional differences lead to passionate exchanges, especially in zones undergoing rapid change.
  • Quote [01:29]:

    "It's much more engaging when people are going hold up. I have an opinion on this." — Tom Denman

Member Engagement and Benefits

• Why Get Involved:
  • Participating ensures that members have a place at the table when key decisions are made affecting agriculture.
  • It’s not mandatory to bring an issue; listening is also valuable for learning and networking.
  • Quote [02:10]:

    "In New York State, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu." — Tom Denman

Emerging Collaborative Models

• Tri-County Approach:
  • For the first time, three counties held a joint "tri county camp," allowing neighboring counties to share and sign onto top priorities.
  • Fosters broader regional solidarity and support.
  • Quote [02:41]:

    "It was a really interesting opportunity for them to kind of see what other their neighbors were raising as priority issues." — Tom Denman

Pathways for New Members

• From County to State Involvement:
  • Local meetings are an accessible entry point; further engagement at the state (Staycon) or even federal level is encouraged as comfort and interest grow.
  • County bureaus are accessible—no one is more than an hour away from a meeting.
  • Quote [03:18]:

    "That's where you can get involved locally, raise local issues that are affecting you, decide that you like that kind of level involvement, and then move up to our state." — Tom Denman

Networking, Support & Community

• Building Connections:
  • Meetings provide rare opportunities for farmers to gather, share stories, and discuss challenges, which alleviates isolation.
  • Partnerships (e.g., with food banks) are increasingly visible, emphasizing farmers' roles not just in production but also in combating food insecurity.
  • Quote [03:54]:

    "For a lot of these people, I mean, they live in the field, so this is one of the few times they... share stories about how the season has been or talk about upcoming issues." — Tom Denman

Supporting Farmers Beyond the Field

• Access to Resources:
  • County Farm Bureaus help farmers connect with distributors, navigate government issues, and access mental health and transition resources.
  • Programs like FarmNet and Nationwide’s Land is Your Legacy are highlighted for their roles in supporting both operational and personal aspects of farming life.
  • Quote [06:19]:

    "Our heritage partner nationwide offers a fantastic land is your legacy program, which is all about helping you transition your farm to the next generation." — Tom Denman

Grassroots Advocacy & the Voice of Agriculture

• Why Grassroots Matters:
  • Farm Bureau relies on collective local action to drive meaningful statewide and national policy.
  • Membership is open and relevant to anyone invested in the food system, not just producers.
  • Quote [06:51]:

    "Everybody needs to be involved in some way, whether you're, you know, you're producing the food, you're distributing the food, you're selling the food, or you're consuming the food." — Tom Denman

Encouragement to Participate

• Tom’s Closing Advice:
  • Everyone should experience the advocacy process and see how local concerns can transform into statewide or federal policies.
  • Quote [07:48]:

    "Everybody should be involved in the advocacy process at least once in their life to see how all that works, how you voice a concern. It goes to our resolutions committee, it becomes a bill, and then it works its way up..." — Tom Denman

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Advocacy:

  "In New York State, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu, they're going to come for you in some way." — Tom Denman [02:10]

• On Community:

  "Farming can be kind of lonely. ...It's nice to know that you're busy and you're dealing with all this, but you're not alone in what you're doing." — Tom Denman [05:12]

• On Inclusion:

  "Just because you might not be producing food yourself doesn't mean you don't realize the importance of having access to that." — Tom Denman [06:51]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:28 — Purpose and structure of County Annual Meetings
• 01:02 — Trending topics: Solar, ag assessments, exemptions
• 02:10 — Value of being present and engaged
• 02:41 — New collaborative models (Tri-County Camp)
• 03:18 — Pathways from local to state involvement
• 03:54 — Importance of networking and community support
• 05:12 — How County Farm Bureaus support members
• 06:19 — Overview of member benefits and resources
• 06:51 — The meaning of grassroots advocacy
• 07:48 — Encouragement to engage in advocacy

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Takeaway for Listeners

County Annual Meetings are the engine room of grassroots advocacy in New York agriculture. They foster debate, collective problem-solving, networking, and direct support for those at the heart of farming. Tom Denman underlines that anyone—producer or consumer—has a role and a voice in shaping the future of food and farming across the state.

Final advice:

"Get involved." — Tom Denman [07:48]

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to News Bites. We are with Tom Denman today, the Associate Director of Membership development and Engagement. That is a mouthful. So you've been traveling across the state, as we know, doing these county annual meeting visits. Tell us how these meetings work and what they're all about. Yeah.

[B]

So around this time every year, there's 52 county farm bureaus that are all making up New York Farm Bureau. They get together and this is when it's an opportunity for them to raise resolutions and issues that are important to them as well as just get together. I mean, a big part of Farm Bureau is networking with your local farmers, producers, local politicians, Cornell Cooperative Extension staff, whoever it may be. It's nice to get everybody in a room and just talk and have a nice meal.

[A]

So what have you noticed during these meetings? Are there any topics or trends that seem to be popping up?

[B]

Well, New York is an incredibly diverse state. So as diverse as our agriculture is, it's equally diverse with our issues that come up. Consistency. I would say that solar continues to be a hot topic across the state, as well as ag assessments and ag exemptions.

[A]

And are you finding that things like ag assessments and ag exemptions, are they sort of a controversial topic at some of these meetings? Does every get a little fired up?

[B]

Oh, it's great when they go back and forth on issues. That's the whole point. If everybody's agreeing, then while that's fine and fun, it might move quickly. It's much more engaging when people are going hold up. I have an opinion on this. For example, the Hudson Valley is really transforming as, you know, New York City kind of moves farther north, the warehousing of that whole area. So that area, it's a real hot topic down there.

[A]

Perfect. Why would you say it's important? I mean, you're seeing all of these county interactions close up. On a personal level here. Why would you say it's important for our members here at Farm Bureau to get involved at the county level?

[B]

I see this at a lot of conferences whenever I have the opportunity. In New York State, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu, they're going to come for you in some way. And the only way to help alleviate that is to use your voice. And New York Farm Bureau provides the room for that voice to be heard.

[A]

Right. And I think sometimes people think that they have to bring topics to. That's not necessarily true. Right. You can go there and just listen to what has to be said and maybe learn something you didn't know before when you're at these meetings?

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, this year was the first year that three of our counties got together and held what they called a tri county camp. And it was a really interesting opportunity for them to kind of see what other their neighbors were raising as priority issues. And it gave them an opportunity to go, hey, we'd like to sign onto that one as well.

[A]

Right, right. So I guess when someone becomes a new member at Farm Bureau, the logical step then is for them to start going to their county farm bureaus first and then maybe join more on a. On a state level at things like staycon, for example.

[B]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think one of the things that makes New York Farm Bureau so unique in the association world, the agriculture world, is that you're not more than an hour away from your local county Farm Bureau meeting. That's where you can get involved locally, raise local issues that are affecting you, decide that you like that kind of level involvement, and then move up to our state.

[A]

Right. You mentioned networking earlier, which of course is a big part of county meetings and state meetings. What have you observed with networking? Are you observing people really having genuine conversations at these CAM meetings?

[B]

Oh, yeah. For a lot of these people, I mean, they live in the field, so this is one of the few times they kind of are all able to get together and share stories about how the season has been or talk about upcoming issues. For example, this year, seeing the Regional Food bank at a lot of county annual meetings was, I think, unique to this year because they're seeing the upcoming issues with getting food out to consumers in the state and basically saying, hey, we're a distribution network for you to help get your food out of the fields to people's mouths.

[A]

And actually, that brings up another point. Going to these meetings helps you learn ways to help your neighbors. Because with food being an issue here, it's not just farmers growing food, it's providing food to their neighbors.

[B]

Oh, exactly. I mean, if anything that Covid showed us, it's that the supply chain is pretty fragile and that we need to protect that. And by protecting that, we're protecting farmers. Because if farmers start disappearing, then that access to fresh food is going to disappear. And that's why everybody should value what their local farmers are producing and putting out.

[A]

Right. You kind of touched on this a little bit. But what can County Farm Bureaus do to help their members? Give us some examples of how. It doesn't have to be a problem necessarily, but how can they help their members?

[B]

Oh, yeah. I mean, they could help connect them with people they might know at large distributors, they could help them with local issues that they might be having with local government issues like that. It could also just be, you know, farming can be kind of lonely. And, you know, there's mental health concerns that come with being alone in a field all day. So it's nice to know that you're busy and you're dealing with all this, but you're not alone in what you're doing. I think back to some conversations of, you know, a lot of farmers feeling a lot of pressure of what they're doing. I mean, in some of these counties, you might be the last dairy farmer in Westchester county, you know, and there's an inherent pressure that comes with that, that if you decide to, you know, pack it up and leave, or if something forces you out, that's going to affect the fresh food that can get to the people around you. And our members take a tremendous amount of pride in what they do.

[A]

Also, there's this whole. Now that you say that there's this whole level of resources that are available through. You mentioned mental health, but there's also any number of insurance or any of our member benefit programs that they could learn more about at these meetings, I assume.

[B]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, our heritage partner nationwide offers a fantastic land is your legacy program, which is all about helping you transition your farm to the next generation. Also working with some of our partners through farmnet, through mental health clinics that they offer.

[A]

So we like to call ourselves the voice of agriculture here at Farm Bureau. So being a grassroots organization is really the key for Farm Bureau. What does that mean to you as you look to grow membership, and why is that so important?

[B]

Yeah, what it means to me is that everybody needs to be involved in some way, whether you're, you know, you're producing the food, you're distributing the food, you're selling the food, or you're consuming the food. It's something that we all have a need with. And when you look at your membership, it's an opportunity to stand with farmers and say that agriculture is important to you. So when I say that everybody can be a member, I mean it. Everybody should be a member. Just because you might not be producing food yourself doesn't mean you don't realize the importance of having access to that.

[A]

Right. Well, Tom, you've attended, I believe, 20 county annual meetings, and those happen at just this time of year, generally speaking, in the fall. But it's. I just want to remind everyone out there who's watching, it's never too early or late to start now at any, at any county meeting. So go to your local farm bureau. Any other words of advice?

[B]

Get involved. I always say that everybody should be involved in the advocacy process at least once in their life to see how all that works, how you voice a concern. It goes to our resolutions committee, it becomes a bill, and then it works its way up through the New York state, sometimes to the federal office. It's important to be involved in that and that's what your membership goes towards.

[A]

Great. Well, if you're not a member, all of you out there, join today. Thank you so much, Tom, for doing this for us, man.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[C]

For generations, New York's farms have been the backbone of our state, feeding our families and fueling our economy. And for over 100 years, New York Farm Bureau has been the voice of agriculture, advocating for the hard working men and women who cultivate our land. You can be part of a powerful movement protecting our farms, supporting rural communities and growing a stronger New York. There is no better time to be a member. Join [e-mail] or call 1-800-342-4143 and press 0.