Louisville, KY (December 1, 2017) – Recognized for its outstanding programming and for having a positive impact on both the community and its membership, Butler and Mercer County Farm Bureaus were honored as Kentucky Farm Bureau’s (KFB) “Top County” in 2017. This is the first time there has been a tie for the award.

Volunteer leaders from Butler and Mercer Counties received the award at a recognition breakfast held this morning during the 98th KFB annual meeting at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville.

The “Top County” announcement headlined more than 70 membership program and insurance honors presented during an awards breakfast this morning. Butler County, which has 2,032 members and a variety of successful service programs, was also honored as the most outstanding in the membership category for counties with 2,600 or fewer members. Mercer County (3,480 members) received recognition among the counties with 2,601 to 4,200 members, and Hardin County (13,522 members) won top honors among counties with more than 4,200 members.

In other award presentations:

Top County Farm Bureaus were designated in all eleven of Kentucky Farm Bureau districts. The recipients were: Bath, Butler, Campbell, Clark, Fulton, Harlan, Hopkins, Logan, Madison, Mercer, and Pulaski Counties.

Gallatin, Mason, and Nelson Counties received Top Growth Awards for having the largest percentage of membership gain from 2017.

Pacesetter Awards were given to counties in the three membership size classifications that were the first to achieve a membership gain during the year. The large county award went to Gallatin County, followed in size by Mason and Nelson Counties.

11 counties won honors for having the highest member retention totals in their districts. Those winners were: Adair, Boyle, Breckinridge, Franklin, Leslie, Lewis, McCracken, Monroe, Pike, Spencer, and Union Counties.

Wayne County was honored for having 54 consecutive years of membership growth. 

Logan County was recognized as the Most Improved County Farm Bureau.

Three awards were given for most effective county Farm Bureau information programs. Mercer County won first place, Daviess County was second and Fayette County was third.

70 Counties won the awards for policy growth and profitability produced by their local Farm Bureau agencies. Bullitt, Fulton, Harlan, Oldham, Pendleton, and Russell counties came closest to the growth goal set for that county. 

Kentucky Farm Bureau, with over 478,000 member families statewide, is the state’s largest general farm organization. Approximately 2,000 members attended KFB’s 98th annual meeting in Louisville, November 29 – December 2, to recognize this year’s individual and organizational achievements and adopt policy for 2018. To view all the updates released from this year’s annual meeting, visit KYFBNewsroom.com.

PHOTO AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD:

To view or download the photograph that accompanies this story (Butler County), click here.

To view or download the photograph that accompanies this story (Mercer County), click here.