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The O’Brien County Farm Bureau has been designated a 2021 Outstanding County Farm Bureau by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF). Brett Peelen, current O’Brien County Farm Bureau president accepted the award at the 103rd Annual meeting held in Des Moines.
This award is given to Farm Bureaus that participate in year-round activities that share the story of today’s agriculture, communicate to elected officials the importance of rural issues and support local communities in times of need.
“We understand farming is about more than what we do on the land, it’s about being involved,” said Brett Peelen County Farm Bureau president. “And we’re proud that what we do out here in our counties contribute to the Iowa Farm Bureau’s larger mission of creating a vibrant future for agriculture, farm families and our communities.”
Also during the annual meeting, Brent Johnson of Calhoun County was elected the 14th president of the Iowa Farm Bureau, succeeding Craig Hill following his retirement after 40 years of Farm Bureau leadership, serving as IFBF president for the past 10 years.
Johnson farms in Manson. Johnson previously served as IFBF District 4 director. Johnson grows corn and soybeans, raises beef cattle and founded an independent precision ag company specializing in GPS soil sampling, precision ag equipment, data management and the deployment of unmanned arial vehicles (UAVs) for data analysis. Johnson earned an agronomy degree from Iowa State University (ISU). In addition to his service on the IFBF board, he’s held various positions on the Calhoun County Farm Bureau board, chaired the IFBF Young Farmer Committee and is a Calhoun County soil commissioner.
Matt Schuiteman of Sioux County was also re-elected as IFBF District director representing District 3 comprised of 12 counties in northwest Iowa. Schuiteman was first elected to the board in 2018.Ê The Schuitemans grow corn and alfalfa and were early adopters of cover crops. The Schuitemans also farrow and finish sows, custom feed Isowean pigs, and have a cow-calf herd of registered Shorthorn and Shorthorn plus cattle.