Just how good are you at presenting your ideas to others in a group setting? Can you hold your own? Kylie Wheeler of Henry County, Ind., can. Judges tapped her as the state winner of the Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ag Professionals Discussion Meet at the 2023 INFB convention in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Wheeler will represent Indiana in the national contest held at the American Farm Bureau Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 19-24. It’s one of the most prestigious competitions conducted by Farm Bureau annually. This contest is open to members ages 35 and younger.

Former judges explain it’s not a speaking contest, per se. Instead, four members in each round act as a committee discussing a real-life farm problem, just as farmers and spouses might at a local meeting. The goal is to demonstrate skills that allow the group to analyze an issue and identify potential solutions.

This year’s state contest included several elimination rounds. Topics included identifying how young people could find financial resources and make sound financial decisions on their farms, reaching a workable definition of sustainable agriculture, Farm Bureau’s role in engaging diverse ag communities and cultivating leadership, and the role INFB should play in addressing water management challenges.

Three runners-up who competed in the final round were Austin Sinders, Clay County; Caleb Purkhiser, Washington County; and Cody Pate, Posey County.

Information from an Indiana Farm Bureau news release was used to prepare this story.