Farm Bureau YF&R Contests Highlight Future Leaders

PARK RIDGE, Ill., November 14, 2001 – Recognizing and further developing leaders will be a main focus of the Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) programs included in the American Farm Bureau Federation's 83rd annual meeting. Farm Bureau members and others from across the country will gather for the convention on Jan. 6-9, 2002 in Reno, Nev.

The YF&R Achievement Award and Discussion Meet competitions, again sponsored by Dodge and Case IH, feature state Farm Bureau event winners.

"Our programs continue to gain in popularity among our Farm Bureau members aged 18-35," said AFBF Special Programs Director Dan Durheim. "I'm amazed every year by the quality of our participants. It's a great feeling to know that agriculture has such a bright future with these young leaders."

The Achievement Award competition is designed to recognize young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming and/or ranching operation and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agriculture operation growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of Farm Bureau.

The national Achievement Award winner will receive a 2002 Ram 3500 Laramie SLT Quad Cab 4x4 pickup truck with a Cummins engine plus free registration fees for the 2002 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference. The four Achievement Award runners-up each receive the free use of a Case IH tractor for 250 hours or until Nov. 30, 2002, whichever is first. All participants receive an inscribed plaque and one-year subscription to ACRES on the Internet.

The Discussion Meet program simulates a committee meeting where active discussion and participation are expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a pre-determined topic. Topics range from how women have made a difference in American agriculture to the issues and challenges that will affect agriculture in the next three years.

The national Discussion Meet winner will receive a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab 4x4 pickup truck with a Magnum V10 engine and free registration fees for the 2002 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference. The three runners-up each receive a $6,000 U.S. Savings Bond courtesy of Cummins Engine Company, Inc. All participants receive an inscribed plaque.

"Our YF&R programs offer participants a chance to develop their speaking and leadership skills," Durheim said. "Farm Bureau and our partners are excited to be able to reward these talented members for their outstanding accomplishments."

New to the convention this year is a Cyber Café co-sponsored by Farm Bureau Connection and Farm Bureau Bank. The Cyber Café is a computer room that will provide members with access to market updates, agricultural news and e-mail.

Among the other highlights of the convention are the Farm Bureau Women's business session, Farm Bureau Showcase, Sunday evening awards program sponsored by Deere & Company and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture Ice Cream Fund Raiser sponsored by Dairy Management, Inc. along with Northern Nevada Dairymen.

Dairy Management, Inc. also is sponsoring a workshop titled "It's Just Like Riding a Bike: Dealing with Change, Adversity and Setbacks." Several other informational seminars and workshops will be held.

President George W. Bush has been invited to speak at the Monday morning General Session that also features an address by AFBF President Bob Stallman. The convention concludes with the annual meeting of state Farm Bureau delegates discussing and voting on the policies that will guide the organization in 2002.