May 12, 2011 - On the evening of Saturday, April 30, Germania Farm Mutual Local Chapter 109 conducted their annual meeting at Quarter Circle B Ranch in Pike. After being welcomed by President Rose Russell, Local Chapter Secretary Joyce Buchanan provided a company update and 2010 minutes. District Director Fredda Lemons spoke to the crowd about legislative issues that will affect farm mutuals. She also talked about the many advantages of being a member of Germania Farm Mutual.

Buchanan provided information on a Distracted Driving Campaign that Buchanan Insurance Agency (BIA) had conducted at the Leonard High School. During October, BIA sponsored a week that was donated to the dangers of driving while distracted. Car crashes are the number one killer of American teenagers. Cell phone use while driving is the number one distraction behind the wheel. Talking on a cell phone while driving makes a person four times more likely to crash, and texting while driving increases a person's chances of a crash by up to 8 to 23 times. Everyone there was asked if they text and drive (while most mentioned they didn't even text while not driving), there were some that do use the cell phone while driving. Buchanan encouraged the crowd to put the phone down while driving. That call is not worth a person's life! Some of the guests even signed pledge cards that said they would maintain distractions to a minimum while driving.

During the week of Distracted Driving Awareness at Leonard High School, students and faculty who signed the pledge cards were presented with a bright lime green t-shirt that has a cell phone with the text message "B A BFF, DNT TXT N DRV" (Be a Best Friend Forever, Dont't Text and Drive). The guests at the meeting who were willing to work on being more focused drivers were also presented with the shirts.

Door prizes were then given out. Before the chicken and steak dinner, the crowd enjoyed cowboy poetry from Randy Branscome and the beautiful singing of his wife, Jan Branscome. A cool rain blew in and interrupted the event for a few minutes but all one hundered and thirteen attendees dried out and enjoyed their meal.