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October 5, 2001

Farm Bureau: All about service

By Donald Patman
Texas Farm Bureau President

The events that have transpired since that tragic Tuesday in New York and Washington are causing many Americans to rethink basic values we all hold dear. I am no exception. As I watch the devoted army of New York civil servants and volunteers clear away the rubble of the World Trade Center, it occurs to me that our great nation will not bow to acts of terrorism. We remain a great nation of freedom-loving people.

President George W. Bush has stressed that America needs to get back to business as usual. And so we must, while remembering those that lost their lives in this tragedy and recognizing the sacrifices this country must make in days to come to fight an unseen enemy.

Now we go back to our routines, as individuals and as an organization. In Texas Farm Bureau, one of our duties is to provide service to our members. To that end, our staff has been working on a special section for Texas Agriculture for some time. The special section is called Saving Solutions. We encourage you to pull out that section and keep it, because it represents real value and the saving of real dollars through a variety of service programs.

We did a reader survey of TFB publications last year, and overwhelmingly, you told us you wanted to know more about the services your organization provides. On these pages, you will read of the savings and discount opportunities and how to claim them.

There are 20 money-saving ideas featured in this section, including a brand new travel service. The new Dodge Truck design is featured, on which you can get a $500 rebate with your Farm Bureau membership.

Your life is a challenge, and there are many demands on your family budget. Our goal is that your Texas Farm Bureau dues will be an investment that repays itself many times over. In Saving Solutions, you'll see there are many items like prescription drugs, eyeglasses, paint, long distance telephone service, child safety seats, tires, batteries, Grainger tools, banking services and many others.

Every family needs these things, but members of the Farm Bureau family can obtain them for a little less. These discounts and rebates have a way of adding up. Our hope is that Saving Solutions, kept handy, will provide easy access and an easier opportunity to save your hard-earned dollars.

Farm Bureau is much more than all this, of course. We fight the battles that must be fought on behalf of agriculture and rural America. Our members stand ready to feed America, and a good part of the world, no matter what the future brings. Our mission is improving the lives and livelihoods of rural citizens. We hope that Saving Solutions can be your guide to saving money and a helping hand in meeting your financial goals.

Thank you all for being part of Farm Bureau, and God Bless America.