Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Contest Encourages Discussions About Ag’s Hottest Topics

Rachel Hyde of Hamilton County won the 2022 Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Discussion Meet in Indiana. Photo credit: Maddie Sanft/Indiana Farm Bureau

One of the ways Indiana Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ag Professionals program develops the next generation of leaders is through its award programs, including the YF&AP Discussion Meet.

The Discussion Meet isn’t a debate, and it isn’t a public speaking contest. What it does is encourage young farmers and agricultural professionals to think about and research important topics, such as climate change, the economic forces changing the face of agriculture and the supply chain disruptions that made 2022 such a challenging year. The actual competition simulates a committee meeting where each participant is expected to be actively involved in the discussion.

Advertisement

“The emphasis is on collaboration,” says Justin Davis, INFB leadership development coordinator. “The purpose of the Discussion Meet is to come to conclusions – to come up with an answer on how we can solve issues and how we can make an impact in the world of agriculture through Farm Bureau.”

Rachel Hyde participating in the 2022 Discussion Meet. Photo credit: Maddie Sanft/Indiana Farm Bureau

Rachel Hyde of Hamilton County won the most recent INFB Discussion Meet, held during the organization’s December 2022 convention. She went on to qualify for the Final Four of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet, held in January.

“The real value is thinking of it not just as a competition but thinking of it as a genuine conversation about agriculture,” Hyde says.

Like other YF&AP activities, the Discussion Meet is open to all INFB members between the ages of 18-35 who are involved in agriculture in some fashion, even if they don’t farm.

“You do have to understand agriculture, but you don’t have to have the perspective of ‘I work on a farm every single day,’” Davis explains.

In fact, he adds, most of the 2022 INFB Discussion Meet participants were not full-time farmers but were instead ag professionals or agribusiness people who may not make the majority of their income from a farm.

Hyde fits into this category. She still actively farms with her parents and brother, and her husband, Michael, helps out as well. She also is involved with her uncle’s sheep operation, which produces Hampshire, Shropshire and crossbred lambs, primarily for 4-H and other livestock shows. But her primary job is as field sales marketing coordinator for Beck’s Hybrids, a family-owned retail seed company headquartered in Atlanta, Indiana.

“In agriculture, it’s important that we use our voices as young farmers and ag professionals to reach out and engage,” Hyde says.

“This contest really elevates those skills, enabling us to have those discussions.”

For more about the YF&AP program and its award programs, visit infb.org/YFAP. More about the Discussion Meet, including frequently asked questions and video of previous meets, is available at infb.org/YFAPDM.

See more: Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Helps Build Future Farm Bureau Leaders