By Ed Albanesi Editor

Editor's note - In this issue of FloridAgriculture we begin a series of mini-profiles focusing on Florida Farm Bureau's fieldmen. According to Field Services Director Dennis Emerson, fieldmen provide the liaison between the state organization and the 62 county Farm Bureau's located throughout Florida. The state is divided into eight Districts, with each fieldman responsible for between five and 10 local Farm Bureaus. This month we start with Field Districts One and Two. Field District One includes Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington Farm Bureaus. District Two includes Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla Farm Bureaus.

It's 10 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2000 at the offices of the Suwannee County Farm Bureau. District Two fieldman Dan Buchanan (right) sits near the front entrance and bangs out a news release promoting Food Check-Out Day. His pager vibrates on the desk and he responds by making a phone call. About an hour earlier, he helped sign up a new Farm Bureau member. The day is still young.

"I have the best job there is at Farm Bureau," boasts Buchanan. "Sure I might put in 50 or 60 hours per week like many others, but I'm doing what I love. I don't even consider it work."

Buchanan's district stretches from Gadsden and Liberty counties in the west to Hamilton, Suwannee and Lafayette counties in the east. He's worked for Florida Farm Bureau for about 25 years and has spent the last 15 or so as the District Two fieldman.

On this brisk and sunny February morning Buchanan would leave the county Farm Bureau offices and take a short drive over to Rep. Dwight Stansel's Live Oak office.

He was pleased to find the House Ag Committee vice-chairman in his office and went in to talk with him about Food Check-Out Day. By the time Buchanan left, Stansel had marked his calendar to attend a Feb. 9 Food Check-Out Day event in Tallahassee.

Stansel says Buchanan might be aggressive about his issues, but he does a good job. "He's energetic and often goes way beyond the call of duty," says Stansel. "He's also a pretty good cook."

One of the reasons Buchanan likes his job so much is because it allows him to deal with people who remind him of his parents. As a matter of fact, he sought and was granted a transfer to District Two so he could move back to his family homestead and have his children grow up knowing their grandparents.

Buchanan is the youngest of four brothers who were raised by their parents on a Madison County farm. Two of Buchanan's brothers live near him today on family farm property. Buchanan says it's likely that his other brother, dean of the ag school at the University of Georgia, will join them when he retires.

Buchanan is a University of Florida graduate with a degree in journalism. It's training that helps him work with staff at small local newspapers to promote Farm Bureau policies or programs.

His first job in the mid-'70s was at St. Vincent's Hospital in Jacksonville where he assisted "Sister Catherine" with hospital P.R. "That lasted a few months," recalls Buchanan. "After a short time selling sporting goods, I spent a few years helping to promote beef with the Florida Cattlemen's Association before coming to Florida Farm Bureau."

Buchanan's visit with Rep. Stansel lasted less than 30 minutes and then it was off to Suwannee County Farm Bureau President George Poucher's farm to have him sign some letters. While there he also met with Poucher's wife, Betty, who is the chair of the District Two Farm Bureau Women's Committee.

Poucher says Buchanan is a good initiator and promoter, and is effective getting things accomplished. "I didn't like him to start with," jokes Poucher, "but he kind of grew on me and now I do."

Buchanan met his wife, Joyce, while they attended North Florida Junior College in Madison. They have two children, a 25-year-old son, Geoffrey, and a 22-year-old daughter, Sara. Both are Florida State University graduates.

Buchanan ate lunch with this writer at the H&F Restaurant (aka the Hog Trough) in Jasper, before driving to the western part of District Two for a county Farm Bureau meeting. He says that it bothers him to see farmers having to deal with so many problems today. It's one of the reason Buchanan spends a lot of time, much of it his own, supporting the efforts of county Farm Bureaus.

"If a county wants to sponsor a youth program, conduct a farm tour or just have a plain old cookout, I'm going to do whatever I can to help them succeed," says Buchanan.