Perkasie hay and straw farmer Don Buckman, who runs Lonely Willow Farm, is running for president of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, writes Philip Gruber for Lancaster Farming.

Buckman is running against incumbent Chris Hoffman and sheep farmer Lisa Wherry of Washington County.

The new president will be elected by delegates on November 19, following the Farm Bureau’s annual meeting.

If elected, Buckman plans to continue Hoffman’s success at building new relationships. He also wants to strengthen ties with groups outside the Farm Bureau’s traditional mold, including Pasa Sustainable Agriculture and National Farmers Union. He also wants to reach out to people with rooftop or community gardens.

“A lot of our future members could potentially be coming out of urban agriculture,” said Buckman.

He also believes that community involvement, such as Farm Bureau running blood drives or sponsoring youth football, could be crucial in ensuring the organization remains vital.

Buckman represents Bucks, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton counties on the Farm Bureau board of directors. In the future, he envisions the board having a bigger role.

“I would take all my ideas that I had to go through the state board and get their approval before anything was done affecting the organization,” he said.

Read more about Don Buckman and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau in Lancaster Farming.