The Nebraska Farm Bureau earned national recognition for excellence in communications, taking home the award for Best Public Relations Campaign at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 2025 Communications Awards. The honor was announced during the AFBF Communications Conference held in Kansas City, Missouri.
Nebraska’s winning entry centered around a comprehensive National Agriculture Week Resource Kit, designed to help county Farm Bureaus across the state celebrate Ag Week, March 16–22, 2025. The campaign was developed by Abby Durheim, Kenzie White, Oscar Diaz, and Devan Kirkpatrick.
The resource kit made Ag Week planning and promotion easy by providing ready-to-use materials for communities to engage with agriculture in meaningful ways. It included:
- Bookmarks with agriculture facts for schools and libraries
- Youth placemats and coloring pages to encourage local contests
- A table tent for restaurant displays
- The lesson plan “Many Hats in Agriculture”
- A commemorative 2025 National Agriculture Week shirt
County Farm Bureaus could request up to 300 printed materials at no cost, with additional copies available for a nominal fee. The materials were shipped in advance of Ag Week, with ordering coordinated through the Foundation.
The entry stood out among nearly 200 submitted by state Farm Bureaus across the country. Nebraska was one of only two states to receive the top recognition in the public relations category, alongside Illinois.
The AFBF Communications Awards celebrate outstanding work across 17 categories – including writing, video, social media, and more. Awards are divided by membership size to ensure fair comparisons among states.
In total, 16 states received honors in this year’s contest.
