For Your Benefit

Virginia Farm Bureau’s exclusive Member Deals Plus® benefit uses the nation’s largest private discount network to save you money on meals, clothing, vehicle care, and other goods and services. It uses “show your phone” mobile deals that can be accessed anywhere and redeemed from a smartphone at the point of sale, or from a home computer.

Members can enjoy Member Deals Plus savings at more than 100,000 locations nationwide.

How to get started

To register as a Member Deals Plus user, visit vafb.com/benefits, and click the Member Deals Plus link near the top of the page. Then, on the Member Deals Plus website,

1Click “Register” in the top right corner, and use your Farm Bureau membership number.

2Once you’re registered, you can start saving immediately.

Then, to save with a mobile device,

1Download the “Member Deals Plus” app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

2Sign in with your email address and password you created on the website.

For assistance, contact Member Deals Plus customer service at 888-275-9136. Member Deals Plus and Member Deals plus are registered trademarks of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

Current Virginia Farm Bureau members* are eligible for a complimentary John Deere Rewards upgrade to Platinum 1 status, which unlocks extra discounts on equipment, parts and merchandise.

You can save on the following equipment: • $150 to $250 off tractors • $550 to $1,400 off compact construction equipment • $100 to $250 off utility vehicles • $200 to $1,700 off commercial mowers • $50 to $150 off residential mowers Visit JohnDeere.com/FarmBureau and have your membership number handy. *Must be a member for at least 30 days to qualify.

Members can save $300 to $500 on qualifying products from participating Case IH dealers. You can generate a certificate to present at your local dealership at vafb.com/benefits; have your membership number at hand.

Eligible individual, family or business members receive the following manufacturer discount on purchases of the listed products: Tractors: • $300 off Farmall Compact tractors, A, C and C CVT series • $500 off Farmall Utilities, C and U series • $500 off Maxxum Series and Farmall 100A series

Balers: • $300 off Round balers • $300 off Small square balers • $500 off Large square balers

Mowers & Utility Vehicles: • $300 off Disc mower conditioners • $300 off Sickle mower conditioners • $500 off Self-propelled windrowers • $300 off Scout utility vehicles

If you’re planning some heavy work this winter, Caterpillar Inc. offers Farm Bureau members savings of up to $2,500 on select Cat machines, as well as a $250 credit on work tool attachments purchased with a new Cat machine.

Savings are good on excavators, small wheel loaders and dozers, backhoe loaders and more.

You can generate a certificate to present at your local dealership at vafb.com/benefits; have your membership number at hand.

County Farm Bureau women’s committees are reporting strong numbers as they tabulate how much was collected from their recent PB&J food drives.

Throughout the summer and fall, county Farm Bureau women’s committees came together to help the hungry in their communities with a classic lunchtime staple— peanut butter and jelly.

Sponsored by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Leadership Committee, the food drives collected peanut butter, jelly and other nonperishable food items to help support regional food banks, local food pantries and Virginia families.

At press time, participating women’s committees reported collecting a cumulative 3,974 pounds of food and $3,325 in monetary donations.

The PB&J theme was chosen in honor of Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom’s 2020 Book of the Year, PB&J Hooray! by Janet Nolan. Peanut butter also is among food banks’ most requested sources of protein.

Final numbers are still being calculated and will be reported in January’s issue of Virginia Farm Bureau News.

BY ALICE KEMP

Riding all-terrain vehicles is a fun outdoor activity for many children—but as accidents increase, parents are urged to use caution if buying ATVs for the holidays.

A recent report from Marshfield Clinic Research Institute revealed ATV injuries among children are on the rise and are likely linked to the pandemic, as children got a head start on summertime activities when schools closed early.

“Children are home more than they were in previous years,” said Dana Fisher, chairman of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Farm Safety Advisory Committee. “More home time means more opportunities to use ATVs, and unfortunately, that means more opportunities for accidents.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 40,000 children under 16 are treated in emergency rooms for ATV-related injuries each year.

Fisher said when shopping for an ATV this holiday season, it’s crucial to look for one that’s an appropriate size.

“ATVs, based on the size, can be a lot more powerful than people anticipate,” he explained. “There are some that are designed for younger riders and for smaller riders. Make sure the piece of equipment is sized right for the child.”

Children should be able to rest their feet on the footrest and easily reach the handles. Virginia restrictions limit children under 12 to ATVs no more than 70 cubic centimeters, and children 12 to 16 are limited to no more than 90 cc.

Andy Seibel, also a member of the VFBF safety committee, said buying properfitting safety gear, especially helmets, also is important.

“Sometimes when we see children with helmets, they’ll actually spin around on their head because they were purchased as an adult helmet instead of a child’s helmet,” Seibel said. “Make sure you actually get something that’ll fit your child.”

When it comes to driving an ATV, Fisher and Seibel said parents need to watch their children, ensuring they know how to operate it safely, and demonstrate safe riding themselves.

“If they see you riding without safety glasses or a helmet, then they’re going to think it’s OK to ride without them,” Seibel said.

He also strongly encouraged parents to enroll children in a safety class.

To find safety classes near you, contact your local ATV dealer or Virginia Cooperative Extension agent.

BY NICOLE ZEMA

Beaver dam debris clogged the spillway pipe in Stephen Goforth’s ranch pond near Chelsea, Okla., causing 5 feet of water to accumulate over it.

To drain the flood, the 61-year-old rancher had to physically unclog the 2 ½-foot-diameter pipe. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol report said Goforth was standing in the pond, working with his feet to clear the debris.

“When the water was released, somehow he got sucked into the pipe and drowned,” said Goforth’s uncle Cecil Rhodes, a Farm Bureau member in Isle of Wight County.

Rhodes is a vegetable and row crop farmer. Since the May 1 tragedy, he and his family have been motivated to bring awareness to this safety issue.

While such incidents are infrequent, they have made headlines in recent years. A Kansas man was killed in 2019 when his arm was sucked into a pipe while unclogging it.

“It’s almost unimaginable,” Rhodes said. “If a beaver plugs those pipes, and you have more than 12 inches of water, you’ve got a problem, and you have to be extra careful.”

One cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 pounds, and combined with immense hydrodynamic forces in concentrated areas like ponds, unclogging an overflow pipe can create a powerful vortex.

“In general, the force of water is one of the most amazing on earth,” said Scott Thomas, regional dam safety engineer at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Dam Safety and Floodplain Management. Thomas encouraged pond owners to contact a qualified professional engineer, licensed to practice in Virginia, to observe and assess the situation and give recommendations for cleaning and removing debris or obstructions.

BY NICOLE ZEMA

Ahumble act of generosity had a profound impact on Amherst County Farm Bureau insurance agent Ed Sale. While serving meals to destitute families in Guatemala on a church mission trip, Sale noticed a little girl standing in line, waiting for volunteers to fill her bowl with rice and chicken broth.

“She had torn clothes and three rubber bands on her wrist,” said Sale. “She wouldn’t take that bowl until she took two rubber bands off her wrist and gave each of us one. So, when you get back home, you’re a pretty humble person.”

His dedication and commitment to serving others was officially celebrated earlier this year, when Sale was named 2020 Ralph Stokes Award Honoree. The recognition is the top sales award presented by Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.

Sale’s heart for service has led him on multiple mission trips to Guatemala and Haiti. He doesn’t take a clean drink of water for granted. That broad worldview gives Sale a vantage point to recognize how good he has it, and he works hard to pay it forward.

“When you go to third-world countries you really learn how blessed we are in this country,” he said. “It made me realize how much God has given me. And as it says in the book of Luke, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’”

Ray Leonard, VFBMIC vice president of sales, said Sale has long been known as a top-producing agent in Farm Bureau and is well-respected in his community. Sale recently qualified to attend a sales-

incentive fishing excursion, but declined the opportunity so he could participate in an overseas mission trip instead.

“It’s a difficult choice—to volunteer in a third-world country over an allexpenses-paid weeklong fishing trip on the Gulf Coast,” Leonard said. “But Ed didn’t hesitate, honoring his commitment to his church, his community and to those less fortunate.”

Generations of Sales still live on the same sunny acres in Amherst where he was born and raised. The family is deeply connected to its agricultural ancestry. Sale lives on a road named for his grandfather, a tobacco grower and cattle farmer. His son’s family resides in the house built by Sale’s great-grandparents. Now Sale, his father and brother raise beef cattle on the land.

“I’ve never found any place I love more than right here,” Sale said. “I try to give

Ed Sale raises beef cattle on his family’s Amherst County farm.

Farm Bureau 50, 55 hours a week, but the rest of my time is spent out here.”

Before joining the VFBMIC family, Sale was his own boss at an auto parts store, where he worked in customer service from the age of 19. In 2001, two-time Ralph Stokes Honoree John Parr encouraged Sale to test for a sales position at Farm Bureau.

Sale said those are the only two jobs he’s ever had. “I always liked sales, maybe because I love people. I had a lot of relationships that brought me a lot of business.”

In addition to the long list of Sale’s awards and accomplishments shared with the VFB network, his proudest work has been in service to his community. He coached Dixie Youth Baseball for 20 years and was league president, and he served 16 years with the Amherst Volunteer Rescue Squad.

When the Virginia Farm Bureau Service Corp. held a member appreciation week in September, “members wanted to know, ‘What have you got?’” said Bill Latane, director of member benefits for Virginia Farm Bureau.

Fortunately, members can now get the answer—from the comfort of their own homes. A new service corporation website listing the 1,800 products stocked in the Henrico County warehouse is live at products.vafb.com.

The products shown on the website are offered for sale exclusively to Farm Bureau members in Virginia and to Farm Bureau-affiliated dealers in Virginia and select other states. The inventory and availability are real-time, so members can view in-stock products. However, the website is currently for informational purposes only; members must place orders by calling 800-476-8473 or purchasing through a Farm Bureau products dealer.

The VFB Products Division is now a certified dealer for Firestone agricultural tires. “The warehouse also stocks a full line of BKT and CEAT agricultural tires, which gives us three quality national brands at slightly different price levels to meet our members’ needs,” Latane noted. “We are currently stocking 184 different rear tractor tires, 29 different front tractor tires, 53 different implement tires plus automotive, light truck, medium truck, lawn and garden tires, ATV tires, specialty tires and industrial tires.”

Also available are Shell Rotella and T-2 engine oils. “These are widely recognized as one of the best engine oils for heavy-duty applications,” Latane said. And the warehouse stocks PURUS hydraulic fluids, which meet or exceed Original Equipment Manufacturers’ requirements.

If you’re looking for a way to warm your shop or garage, check out the VAL6 radiant heaters, available through the warehouse. The heaters produce almost no smoke, operate off diesel fuel or kerosene and require only 120v electricity, Latane said.

Members can view the new VFB Products Division website to see what’s in stock.

Virginia’s Harvest treats help sweeten the season

Whether you’re at a festive gathering or exchanging gifts, Virginia’s Harvest products offer Farm Bureau members a chance to share delicious foods made with Virginia products, like “butter toasted” peanuts and chocolate peanut brittle. For your holiday dinner table, there also are salt-cured, bone-in Virginia hams!

Available exclusively from Farm Bureau’s products division, the Virginia’s Harvest collection also includes the ever-popular roasted, salted and unsalted gourmet peanuts; double-dipped, chocolate-covered peanuts; and a 2-pound bag of salted peanuts in the shell. And if you can’t make up your mind, a peanut trio pack offers a variety of tastes.

For product details and prices, visit vafb.com/benefits, and click on “Virginia’s Harvest.”

Call the Virginia Farm Bureau Products Division at 800-476-8473 for more information or to order by phone.