By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Young farmers and ranchers have the opportunity to connect and network with their peers during Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) district meetings.
The meetings are held once a year in each of TFB’s 13 districts.
“Young farmers and ranchers can come together to network, promote agriculture and learn about Texas Farm Bureau through the meetings,” Melody Kneupper, TFB’s YF&R Advisory Committee chair, said.
Some of the meetings include tours of local agribusinesses, farms, wineries or other venues.
“It’s a little business and a lot of fun,” she said.
Each meeting is different and customized for the area. Kneupper noted some of the meetings will have guest speakers.
Individuals who are between the ages of 18 and 35 and have an interest in agriculture are invited to attend the meetings.
“It’s important to be involved with organizations like TFB that support agriculture and give a voice to farmers and ranchers,” Kneupper said. “That’s most important when you’re in any business or field of work—get involved with an organization that supports you. Texas Farm Bureau does that for farmers and ranchers, so we want to see more young people get involved.”
The complete list of district meetings for 2019 includes:
District 1: March 9 (FoxLand Event Center; Canyon, TX)
*For more information on this event, contact Karri Wieners at karri41784@hotmail.com.
District 2: Aug. 17
District 3: March 10 (Wichita Falls Brewing Company; Wichita Falls, TX)
*For more information on this event, contact Trey Berend at tberend@txfb.org.
District 4: TBD
District 5: May 2
District 6: April 13 (Lake Nasworthy Boat Club; San Angelo, TX)
District 7: May 3
District 8: June 1 (Dell Diamond/Round Rock Express; Round Rock, TX)
District 9: May 30
District 10: May 4
District 11: April 26
District 12: April 27 (Yanta Turf Farm LLC; Poth, TX)
District 13: TBD
More information will be provided on locations and RSVP dates as they become available.
The meetings are free and typically include a meal. You do not have to be a TFB member to attend the meetings.
Other YF&R activities scheduled for this year include the Leadership Conference set for March 29-31 and the Fall Tour. Information for this year’s tour will be available later this spring. Visit www.texasfarmbureau.org/YFR for more details on these events.
Young farmers and ranchers who are active in agriculture, either part-time or full-time, are also eligible to apply for the Excellence in Agriculture and Outstanding YF&R contests. Click here for more information on the contests.
Sign up for updates on YF&R contests, activities and other opportunities in the MyTFB membership portal. Login or create an account at my.texasfarmbureau.org, and select “Contact Preferences” on the left-hand menu. From there, select “Young Farmer & Rancher” to receive emails throughout the year.
The MyTFB app is also available in the App store and on GooglePlay.