communication skills which include: speaking to groups and the media, writing letters,

and being comfortable with the use of technology such as email and the internet.

 Respondents indicated the need for county board members to be proactive and the

ability to seek out alternatives to problems. As indicated in the interviews, "we need

board members who bring new things to the table, who don't do things the way they have

always been done." One of the concerns of the state leaders is that older board members

are inhibiting younger board members from implementing new ideas as they are not

comfortable with change, or doing things differently from the way they have always been

done.

Political Process

 As one Farm Bureau official stated "Farm Bureau is a mechanism for people to

work collectively together on political, social, and economic ideas." Another stated "the

strongest county Farm Bureaus are affecting political leaders." All interview respondents

felt that one of the objectives of county Farm Bureaus and county Farm Bureau members

should be involvement in the political process. This involvement included the abilities

to: explain agricultural issues, demonstrate ability to become involved in government on

the local, state, and national level, demonstrate knowledge of the political process and

political structure on all levels, develop relationships with elected officials and support

the legislative activities of the Farm Bureau. A complete list of political process

competencies can be found in Table 4-16.