Young farmers from Illinois traveled to Phoenix this week to compete in various contests at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention.

Grant and Kristin Strom, Knox County, brought home the big prize: first place in the Achievement Award contest. They won their choice of either a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado or 2017 GMC Sierra. They will also receive a paid registration to the AFBF FUSION Conference in Pittsburgh Feb.10-13.

The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operation’s growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of Farm Bureau. The Stroms were named Illinois winners during the Illinois State Fair, and spent the past four months updating their application and preparing for interviews. For their state win, they received 100 hours of use of a 200-hp Massey Ferguson tractor from Agco and $2,500 from IFB.

Runners-up in the Achievement Award contest were Stewart and Kasey McGill of Alabama, Chris and Patricia Haskins of Virginia, and Jay and Alice Ann Yeargin of Tennessee.

Discussion Meet
Lynn Doran, Champaign County, placed in the top 16 for the Discussion Meet.

The Discussion Meet judges contestants’ ability to manage a small-group discussion. Topics included immigration policy, natural resource management, data ownership, farm tax policy and food labels.

“The Young Leader program has opened doors for me on so many levels,” Doran said. “It’s structured, but there’s enough freedom to pursue any issue that you’re passionate about. There aren’t many places to find that kind of support network and that many opportunities.”

Matt Niswander of Tennessee won the Discussion Meet. The three runners-up were Amanda Sollman of Michigan, Skye Gess of Georgia and Jessica Jones of Virginia.

Excellence in Agriculture
Mark and Sara Mitchell, Grundy County, placed in the top 10 for the Excellence in Agriculture Award.

The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from an agricultural operation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, their leadership ability and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations.

Sarah Scyphers of Virginia won the Excellence in Agriculture Award. The three runners-up were Wayne and Melonie Brinkerhoff of Utah, Terisha and Brian McKeighen of Arizona, and Seth and Lyndsay Earl of Michigan.