Indiana Farm Bureau’s Collegiate Farm Bureau program strives to give students real-world experiences and meaningful relationships that help them grow their skills, connections and confidence, so they can make an impact in agriculture now and in the future.
“Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters are a great way for post-high school students to continue or start their Farm Bureau journeys,” says Annie Romine, INFB youth engagement coordinator.
INFB’s Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters allow students at Huntington, Purdue and Vincennes universities to form a community with members who desire to make a difference in agriculture. Romine says collegiate chapters meet once or twice a month, and meetings include food, an activity and a speaker, which helps grow their network in the ag industry. Collegiate chapters participate in at least one community service activity each year and are encouraged to attend state and national Farm Bureau experiences.
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Theresa Feese, an incoming senior at Huntington University, has attended the past two years of INFB’s Innovate and Grow and the American Farm Bureau Federation’s FUSION Conference in 2026.
“That was a really amazing experience to network and get a new perspective to bring back to our colleges as well,” she says.
Feese says her involvement in the Huntington University chapter helped her transition as a freshman in a different state.
“Agriculture isn’t just an industry. It’s a lifestyle and a really close-knit community,” she says. “I knew that agriculture made me feel that sense of community and sense of purpose when I was at home in Pennsylvania. I knew if I plugged into an ag-specific group here, I would feel that same way. I feel like something that’s really emphasized when you go to college is to learn from every single thing that you’re put into and that you put yourself into. Not every student is going to go into agriculture, but they’re all going to take away something from Collegiate Farm Bureau.”
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Purdue University sophomore Audrey Newkirk comes from a fourth-generation farm in Jackson County. Prior to college, she was heavily involved in FFA and 4-H.
“I want to be a history teacher, but I still have a passion for agriculture and love being at Purdue for that reason,” she says. “I get to be involved in ag activities and groups like Farm Bureau despite not majoring in it.”
During her freshman year, a few of Newkirk’s highlights have been helping at the Indiana 4-H Leadership Development Camp, volunteering at Purdue’s Springfest and taking a chapter trip to Far Oaks Farms. Her favorite experience was when members of all collegiate chapters visited the Statehouse.
“I’m a huge civics and government fan, so it was an exciting experience getting to talk to our state politicians about issues, and I felt proud to be there representing an industry so near and dear to my heart,” Newkirk says. “The number of opportunities that Collegiate Farm Bureaus offer as an industry-backed organization is genuinely insane. There are always events going on that we’re getting invited to and ways to network with people that I’ve never found in any other club.”
For more information, visit infb.org/collegiate.
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