LINCOLN, NEB. – The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation held its sixth annual Grower’s Gala on Dec. 6, during the 2021 Nebraska Farm Bureau Annual Convention. The evening included dinner, a live auction, and entertainment by Fun Pianos!.
Lancaster County Farm Bureau sponsored the annual “deck of cards” raffle, and Jean Thunker of Keith County Farm Bureau was the lucky winner of a Benelli Montefeltro Silver shotgun.
“The Grower’s Gala provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress of the Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom program and to preview the vision for the future of agricultural literacy in Nebraska,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director.
For the fifth year in a row, donor Charles W. Herbster of Falls City, Neb., pledged to match funds raised at the Grower’s Gala. With Mr. Herbster’s matching gift of $50,000, preliminary fundraising totals topped $108,000 to support the Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom program, scholarships and awards, and consumer engagement efforts.
“The purpose of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation – to create a Nebraska where all value the contributions of agriculture– resonates with so many. With generous gifts made at the Grower’s Gala, attendees showed their confidence in our progress and a commitment to continued and increasing impact,” said Schafer. “I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Special thanks to auctioneer Rick Shoemaker of Huss Livestock Market, LLC; event sponsors FNBO; Douglas County Farm Bureau; Lancaster County Farm Bureau; Aurora Cooperative; Nebraska Farm Bureau Financial Services; and the following live auction donors: County Farm Bureaus: Brown, Buffalo, Cass, Custer, Douglas, Garfield, Hall, Howard, Lancaster, Lincoln, Loup, Rock, Seward, and Wheeler. Nebraska Farm Bureau member benefit partners: Case IH; Certified Piedmontese; Farm Bureau Bank; Ford; Grainger; John Deere; Nebraska Star Beef; Office Depot/Office Max; SeaLife Aquarium; Titan Machinery; ValleyFair; and Yamaha. Individuals and organizations: 40 North Tap+Grille; American Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee; Aurora Cooperative; AXE HOLES; David Briggs; Bootleggers, Inc.; Calamus Outfitters; Capitol View Winery & Vineyards; Center Creek Gunsmithing; Bill Claybaugh; Craft Axe Throwing; Dekalb; Fonner Park; Get Tanked; James Arthur Vineyards; Terry and Shelley Keebler; Glenda Mach; Mark and Judi McHargue; Steve and Elma Nelson; Niobrara Valley Vineyards, LLC.; Papa Moon Vineyards; Keith and Jane Peterson; Paula Peterson; Raikes Beef Company; Ramada Inn Midtown- Grand Island; Rob Robertson; Steve and Lona Thompson; and WESTCO.
The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is to engage youth, educators, and the general public to promote an understanding of the vital importance of agriculture in the lives of all Nebraskans. The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information about the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, visit www.nefbfoundation.org.
