December 8, 2000

Membership in the American Farm Bureau Federation nationwide now exceeds 5 million -- 5,009,268 member families. The milestone was passed as state Farm Bureaus reported 57,024 additional families signed up for membership in 2000 -- the 40th consecutive year of membership growth.

According to AFBF President Bob Stallman, the organization's growth was fueled by recognition of Farm Bureau's record as an advocate for policy positions developed by its members at the local, state and national levels, and on the strength of many programs and services designed to boost members' families, businesses and standards of living.

"Reaching the 5-million-member mark is a matter of pride for the organization, its leaders and everyone who believes in Farm Bureau's mission," Stallman said. "It has been another challenging economic year for many of America's farm families, but our membership strength will bolster Farm Bureau as we work with our members and for our members to surface new ideas and solutions in the coming year."

The membership gain of more than 57,000 member families was particularly notable given the fact that farmers and ranchers were faced by issues such as costly regulations, bad weather and economic turmoil. According to Stallman, the gain is a sign that farmers are more serious than ever about the need to come together to tackle tough issues that cannot be adequately addressed as individuals.

"Farm Bureau's greatest accomplishment is being able to provide a platform for America's farmers and ranchers as the voice of agriculture," Stallman said. "The growth of our membership roster can be traced directly to the overall effectiveness of our state and county Farm Bureaus and their commitment to grassroots Farm Bureau members. County Farm Bureaus continue to serve as the bedrock of our national success."

Stallman outlined a number of highlights from the recently concluded 2000 membership year -- the 40th consecutive year in which Farm Bureau membership has grown nationwide.

The Tennessee Farm Bureau continues to claim the title of the nation's largest state Farm Bureau with 513,978 member families. Tennessee's 2000 membership gain of 12,003 new member families was also tops in the nation.

Joining Tennessee in the 2000 "top 10" Farm Bureau membership states were: North Carolina, 415,679; Kentucky, 409,804; Illinois, 355,337; Georgia, 322,544; Texas, 308,526; Indiana, 271,302; Arkansas, 220,205; Mississippi, 214,752; and Ohio, 207,386.

Georgia Farm Bureau, the nation's fifth largest, achieved the second largest 2000 membership gain -- 10,022 member families. California Farm Bureau, the 19th largest in the nation with 94,613 members, posted the third highest gain -- 8,976 new members. The Ohio Farm Bureau, which is the nation's 10th largest state Farm Bureau, posted the fourth highest membership gain with 6,258 new members.

Following the top four membership gain states, with increases of more than 2,000 members were: Oklahoma, 4,949; Indiana, 4,246; Arizona, 3,670; Arkansas, 3,310; Oregon, 3,136; Florida, 2,709; North Carolina, 2,692; Alabama, 2,664; Washington, 2,601; and Kentucky, 2,546.