Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Helps Build Future Farm Bureau Leaders

Photo credit: iStock/Dmytro Diedov

There’s a simple reason why Indiana Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer Program decided to change its name in 2019 to Young Farmers & Ag Professionals because there is much more to Indiana agriculture than grain and livestock farming.

In 2020, direct on-farm employment accounted for about 2.6 million jobs, or 1.4% of U.S. employment, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. In contrast, 19.7 million full- and parttime jobs were related to the agricultural and food sectors, representing 10.3% of total U.S. employment.

Advertisement

The goal of the program, says INFB leadership development coordinator Brandon Rice, is to cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders through leadership development, competitions and networking.

“We’ve really been working hard rebuilding on the social and networking component after COVID,” Rice adds.

The YF&AP’s main event is the annual YF&AP Conference, which will be held in Indianapolis Jan. 27-28, 2023. The conference will include speakers, workshops and plenty of opportunities for socializing.

YF&AP also conducts three major contests:

• YF&AP Achievement Award recognizing young farmers whose farm management techniques and community commitment set a positive example. Applicants must derive the majority of their income from a farming operation.
• YF&AP Discussion Meet, a competition designed to help young Farm Bureau members learn how to effectively share and build upon ideas to address important agricultural issues.
• YF&AP Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizing young farmers or ag professionals who do not derive the majority of their income from a farming operation they own. Criteria include involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, and involvement in Farm Bureau and other community organizations.

Two of the program’s participants illustrate how the word “agriculture” can refer to many different things.

Allen Bedel of Decatur County chairs the INFB YF&AP State Committee. He is a crop insurance adjuster and works for his father and brother on a farm where they raise cattle, hogs, corn and soybeans. He and his wife, Brittney, also run a small business selling goat-milk soap.

“The YF&AP program gives young farmers and young ag professionals opportunities to grow the skills needed to advocate for agriculture at a local, state and national level,” he says. “The networking and leadership opportunities available really do provide a strong foundation that will benefit them throughout their careers. I know that for my wife and me, becoming involved in the YF&AP Program has contributed to us growing in many areas of our lives.”

The program’s networking opportunities also proved valuable to Tracy and Matt Roberts, the 2005 winners of the Excellence in Agriculture Award.

The Roberts are first-generation farmers, meaning they didn’t inherit the farm they now own. Roberts Family Farm (haymaze.net) is now a full-fledged attraction visited by 30,000 people annually. It offers sunflowers, a 4-acre corn maze, a pumpkin patch, a playground, farm animals and more.

But when Tracy and Matt were involved in the program as young farmers, they were still getting the farm off the ground. According to Tracy, the program helped them in that effort by building connections with other people, both across the state and nationally.

“We would never be where we’re at if we hadn’t been involved in Young Farmers,” Tracy says. “It really broadens your horizons, and if you have a dream, it gives you ideas on what that dream can turn into.”

Find out more about the YF&AP program on INFB’s website, infb.org/YFAP.

See more: Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion Symbolizes INFB and State Fair’s Partnership