The Michigan Farm Bureau was founded on the campus of Michigan State University in 1919. The organization's primary goal is to promote and represent the interests of its agricultural members within the state of Michigan. There are two types of member classification within the Michigan Farm Bureau. Members are either associate members or regular members. Associate members are those who have obtained membership because they are sympathetic to the cause of the Michigan Farm Bureau, or because they would like to receive the benefits associated with a membership (such as Farm Bureau Insurance). Regular members are those who are involved with agriculture. Regular members are typically active farmers, but they can also be retired farmers, greenhouse operators, or landholders who lease their land for agricultural activities. The Michigan Farm Bureau provides a variety of benefits and services to its members, but the most important functions for regular members are (state and federal) lobbying activities and programs and services to educate members on current agricultural issues: political, environmental or otherwise. Other services, such as long distance telephone service, health insurance and many others, are available to both regular and associate members. The headquarters of the Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies is located in Lansing, Michigan. The current president of Michigan Farm Bureau is Carl Bednarski. Policy development The Michigan Farm Bureau calls itself a grassroots organization, with its agricultural members meeting once per year to create and vote on policy, which guides the direction of the organization for the next year. Each member of the Michigan Farm Bureau belongs to an independently operated county Farm Bureau. There are 67 county Farm Bureaus within the state – some county Farm Bureau offices cover more than one county with lower population levels. Each County Farm Bureau has an annual meeting when policy for that county Farm Bureau is set. During that meeting, policy is also developed for the state and national levels. State and national policies passed by majority vote at the county annual meetings are then reviewed and modified by county Farm Bureau delegates at the state annual meeting. National policies passed by majority vote at the state annual meeting are then reviewed and modified by delegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual meeting. The Michigan Farm Bureau is a member organization of both the American Farm Bureau Federation and the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, both headed by Bob