Growing Together 2022: Refuel & Recharge

Feeling burnt out? Tired? Need to get away?

If you need to refuel and recharge, the 2022 Growing Together Conference is just what Ol’ Doc Farm Bureau ordered! Come February members will reunite and once again enjoy opportunities to learn and network over common interests and passions.

Open to regular members interested in Promotion & Education and Young Farmer programming, Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2022 Growing Together Conference takes place Feb. 18-20 at the Amway Grand Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids.

Attendees will have the opportunity to go on ag-facility tours, soak up informative breakout sessions and spend quality time with peers from across the state — and maybe try their luck at a hand or two of blackjack.

This year’s tours are loaded with exclusive, behind-the-scenes content:

• Great Grilling will look inside a Michigan-based grill company, including time with their in-house chef discussing consumer trends.
• The Grand Rapids city tour ends at Fredrick Meijer Gardens’ on-site greenhouses, where members will enjoy access to locations normally off limits.
• Or you can venture into the country to visit a sugar shack, potato farm and learn about providing safe visits to the consumers who visit your farm.

An additional opportunity for attendees looking to invest in themselves and their businesses is to opt for the Take Root Farm Succession and Estate Planning Seminar in lieu of a Friday tour. Attendees choosing this option get discounted Take Root registration ($50) and will have access to industry leaders in succession planning.

Friday wraps up at the Grand Rapids Public Museum for a private viewing with heavy hors d'oeuvres during an evening reception, followed by the conference kickoff and “goose chase” to earn points and win prizes.

Saturday’s docket is packed with 24 breakout options covering an array of topics, from how to make your local events impactful on a small budget to developing your personal brand. There are also some exciting panels on offer, including an MFB legislative update and a program devoted to reinvigorating your Project RED.

Visit the Growing Together website for the full lineup!

Saturday night continues the fun with a general reception and a pre-dinner reception for county leaders. Later that evening everyone will try their luck at the tables — risk-free — at casino night!

Early Sunday things wrap up with five more workshop offerings on topics from financial planning and consumer literacy — before we all pack up and head home.

Sound good? Of course it does!

Trust us: Growing Together is the perfect opportunity to recharge alongside your peers and fuel your tank full of ideas for county Farm Bureau involvement. Registration will be open Jan. 3-14; contact your county Farm Bureau to secure your spot, and visit www.michfb.com/growingtogether for all the details.

See you there!