The Alabama Farmers Federation this week kicked off its centennial festivities and recognized the 75th anniversary of Alfa Insurance at the organization’s home office in Montgomery.
Founded on January 31, 1921, the Federation’s 100th anniversary is on Sunday and currently represents more than 350,000 member families through county organizations in all 67 Alabama counties.
Jimmy Parnell, who serves as president of both the Federation and the insurance company, advised in a release that the Federation’s original mission of providing a voice for farmers has been — and continues to be — fulfilled.
“We were formed to represent the farmers of the state of Alabama. They felt like they lacked a voice in government,” Parnell explained. “County agents from around the state worked to develop us. They collected membership dues for the organization and got us started 100 years ago. It’s just been an amazing journey, and I’m pleased to say, today, I don’t think the farmers of the state would worry about whether they’re represented or not in politics. I think we’ve done what we were intended to do, and we continue to try to do that every day.”
The Federation now serves 17 commodity divisions and develops agricultural leaders through its Young Farmers and Women’s Leadership divisions. The organization is also actively engaged in public policy both in Montgomery and Washington, D.C., as well as through FarmPAC. The Federation supports youth livestock shows, Ag in the Classroom, Farm-City Week, scholarships and much more through its Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation.
Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) recognized the anniversaries with a special proclamation.
“At the core of the Federation is its commitment to giving back to those it serves through community enhancement and programs to develop future leaders through its Young Farmers Committee, Women’s Leadership Committee, 17 commodity committees and A.L.F.A. Leaders Class,” wrote the governor in the proclamation. “[I] encourage our citizens to support the Federation and Alfa Insurance in their work on behalf of all residents.”
The Federation’s is especially proud of Alfa Insurance’s impact on the Yellowhammer State and beyond. Parnell noted that the insurance company originally grew out of a need for fire insurance coverage in rural areas of Alabama.
“Those same farmers that were involved — they’d be together talking about policy — and one of their challenges was getting insurance on their rural properties,” Parnell outlined. “The insurance companies that were out there didn’t want to write those rural farm owners, so the farmers decided, ‘We need to be able to insure our homes, our barns.’ And a group of those folks paid their premium into a pot realizing that if very many of them had claims, they would not have insurance. They had to raise $10,000. Once they had raised $10,000, they petitioned the state insurance department to set them up as an insurance company. So that’s how we got started — a small group of farmers putting their money together to form this insurance company.”
Today, Alfa provides coverage for more than one million homes, cars, farms, businesses, churches and other properties across 11 states. The company also has more than $30 billion of life insurance in force.
“As you know, there are not as many farmers today, so along the way, we started insuring everybody,” Parnell added. “We have special focus on rural customers, but we also insure people who live in cities. We are the No. 1 insurer in some areas and the No. 2 insurer in other areas — in the state of Alabama. I’m very proud of that.”
The centennial and diamond anniversaries of the Federation and Alfa, respectively, will include observances throughout the year, culminating at the Federation’s 100th annual meeting planned for December in Montgomery.
Speaking of this week, Parnell said it was fitting to kick off the year with special activities for employees. Alfa employs more than 2,000 people in Alabama, including about 700 at its headquarters.
While Parnell highlighted the “congratulatory” aspect of the occasion, he also stressed that employees can take pride in knowing “they’re part of preparing for the next 100 years.”
Parnell emphasized that the organization’s investment in technology, new products, expanded service options and leadership development has positioned Alfa well for the future.
“We are doing the things that prepare us for another 100 years, or maybe another 200,” he concluded. “I can’t imagine how far we could go as an organization, because we have built the groundwork for a long-term operation to continue.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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