Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation holds three contests for Young Farmer and Agriculturist (YFA) members to participate in. Farm Bureau members between the ages of 18 and 35 are eligible for Achievement Award, Excellence in Agriculture Award, and the Discussion Meet.
Achievement Award contestants are judged on their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other civic and service organizations. Applicants must have derived a majority of their income from on farm production for the past three years. Rural Mutual Insurance Company will provide a free financial plan for the state winner. The final four receive a $50 FAST STOP gift card. FABCO Equipment, Inc., provides the state winner with 40 hours use of a FABCO 226 skid-steer loader.
Excellence in Agriculture contestants are judged on their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other civic and service organizations. Applicants must have derived a majority of their income from a non-production agribusiness enterprise for the past three years. Examples would be an agriculture teacher, fertilizer salesperson, veterinarian, farm employee, agricultural writer or marketer. The final four receive a $50 FAST STOP gift card from GROWMARK, Inc. The state winner receives a $250 FAST STOP gift card from GROWMARK, Inc., towards FS products.
Applications for the 2015 Achievement Award and the Excellence in Agriculture Award are due postmarked by July 1.
Finally, the Discussion Meet contest gives young members a chance to demonstrate their speaking skills on agricultural-related topics. Contestants are judged on their problem-solving skills as they discuss timely topics with their colleagues. Each of WFBF’s nine districts will hold a district Discussion Meet competition this fall. The three finalists in each district receive a $50 FAST STOP gift card from GROWMARK, Inc. The statewide winner also will receive a chain saw from Midwest Stihl, Inc.
The winners of these contests on the state level will compete at the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, January 10-13, 2016. They also will be guests at the GROWMARK, Inc., Annual Meeting, August 25-26, 2016, and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau 2015 Annual Meeting/YFA Conference, December 4-5, 2015. They also will have the opportunity to take part in the YFA Washington, D.C., trip.
Farm Bureau co-sponsors these contests with GROWMARK, Inc., and Rural Mutual Insurance Company.
Information and applications for the contests can be downloaded from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s website, wfbf.com, or members can call Dale Beaty, Director of Training and Leadership Development at 608.828.5714.
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