As a 23 year old member of the National YF&R Committee, I often am asked how I become active in Farm Bureau at such a young age. Although my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents all belonged to the organization, I did not fully understand the role and importance of the Farm Bureau until I was chosen as the 2002 Harford County and Maryland State Farm Queen. When I begin to explain this title to my colleagues they start to ask many questions about the program. Therefore, when thinking of topics for me to post, I thought I would enjoy sharing our state and county’s proud tradition of selecting exceptional young ladies to promote agriculture and the Farm Bureau organization.

Since I was a participant in the program in 2002, the title has been changed at the state level to Miss Maryland Agriculture. The Miss Maryland Agriculture Program is supported by our county and state Farm Bureau’s and by the Maryland State Fair. The contest begins each year with our 23 counties selecting a young lady between the ages of 16-19 with an agricultural background and with a desire to promote our organization and industry. At the end of August, each county will send its chosen Miss Farm Bureau to our state contest. After the Miss Maryland Agriculture for 2007 is selected, she will attend Farm Bureau functions throughout the state and speak with a variety of television and radio stations.

As coordinator for the Miss Harford County Farm Bureau Contest, I am currently meeting with our four contestants to complete their applications and prepare for their interviews. The four exceptional young ladies will compete on July 26, 2007 during our Harford County Fair. During that hot summer day amidst the Beef Steer and Breeding Show and the antique tractor pulls these four young ladies will spend their day answering questions during their interviews about their own operations, the future of agriculture in our county and their own future plans. Finally at 6pm, the Harford County Fair will turn its attention to the stage in the middle of the fairgrounds as the business-suit wearing contestants introduce their families, tell about their indoor and outdoor responsibilities, future goals, and answer a fishbowl question related to agriculture. By the end of the evening, we’ll have a new Miss Harford County Farm Bureau that will spend the rest of our county fair handing out ribbons and working at our Farm Bureau booth. Our county contest is only the beginning of a long and enjoyable year for the lucky young lady that is selected.

Our program serves our state well in promoting the Farm Bureau organization with a professional image that displays our commitment to the future of agriculture in our state. If you have any questions about our program please do not hesitate to post and I will contact you with more information! Have a great day!