More than 600 young farmers and ranchers headed to Indianapolis last weekend for the annual Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmer Leadership Conference. Clinton County Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer program was recognized as the top program in the state. The Young Farmer committee chairman and a guest will receive an expenses-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., in February. Jasper and LaPorte counties were runners-up.
Jefferson, Kosciusko and Whitley counties received the Awakening Award. The Awakening Award was started in 1998 as a part of the outstanding county program to recognize county Young Farmer programs that are new or have not applied for the contest in the last three years.Henry County was recognized as the most improved Young Farmer Program. This is based on a comparison of activities of the past three years and how the activities and programs have improved in that county young farmer program.
Two counties were recognized for their contributions to the Feeding America program. Marion County donated the most volunteer hours and the most pounds of food. Marion County young farmers meet with at their food bank monthly for volunteer opportunities. They collected 1,050 pounds of food, and volunteers donated over 112 hours in 2012. Henry County was the top county in dollars donated. They operate a “Hoppers for the Hungry” program where local farmers donated grain to be sold with proceeds given to local food banks. That program collected nearly $13,000.
Winners of the state’s two collegiate Farm Bureau chapters’ Discussion Meets were also recognized. Vincennes University Discussion Meet winner Evan Day, Lawrence County, and Purdue University Discussion Meet winner Cory Harris, Jay County, will compete in Phoenix, Ariz., in February against other collegiate winners from around the country.
Source: Indiana Farm Bureau