Farm Bureau celebrates Thank a Farmer Week

Nodaway County Farm Bureau members manned a booth near the entrance of the Maryville Hy-Vee supermarket Wednesday to promote Thank a Farmer Week.

FB's Andrew Lance, Jason Hall and Benny Farrell, along with Farm Bureau President Terry Ecker, asked customers to sign up for a chance to win free groceries and other prizes, including Hy-Vee gift cards.

Thank a Farmer is an agriculture awareness group founded to spread awareness about the importance of farming.

The program aims to educate consumers about the indispensability of agriculture with regard to both food production and other kinds of industry.

"The goal is to make people aware of where their food comes from," Ecker said. "This gives us a chance to help spread the word about how important farmers are to our country."

The Hy-Vee event has been held for years and is one of many such activities taking place statewide.

"Hy-Vee has been a great supporter of our efforts," Ecker said. "We are grateful for their help."

With roughly 500 members in Nodaway County, Farm Bureau is perhaps most widely known for various kinds of insurance offered through FBL Financial Group, also known as Farm Bureau Financial Services.

However, the organization is the largest general farm organization in the United States and has the stated mission of "working through our grassroots organizations to enhance and strengthen the lives of rural Americans and to build strong, prosperous agricultural communities."