By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

College students from across the nation competed in American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Collegiate Discussion Meet in early March.

Texas Farm Bureau was represented by David Kendrick, a sophomore at Texas A&M University.

During the national competition, Kendrick discussed increasing membership retention as well as adding value and opportunity to the new diverse space of agriculture.

“Discussion Meet is something that happens every day, whether it’s on our Collegiate Farm Bureau officer team or when you’re talking with a professor. That aspect of having a problem and working toward a solution with others is something extremely practical and applicable,” Kendrick said. “I found joy in not only learning about the topic, but I also got to practice what it’s like being in a boardroom and working with others to find a common goal.”

Other topics discussed during the contest included: diversifying farming portfolios, succession planning, loss of agricultural land and protecting private property rights.

Kendrick was named the winner of TFB’s Collegiate Discussion Meet in 2024, qualifying him for the national competition.

“Being able to represent Texas was a big honor,” he said. “It gave me an opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds from across the country. And although the results didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to, I still learned a great deal, and I was able to grow because of what I saw from other competitors.”

Kendrick is studying agricultural economics and animal science and is a founding officer of the Texas A&M University Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter.

The Collegiate Discussion Meet is designed to replicate a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each collegiate participant. Participants are judged on their ability to exchange ideas and information on an agricultural topic and find answers or solutions related to it.

The national contest was held during AFBF’s FUSION Conference, which brings together over 1,000 volunteer leaders for four days of educational and motivational sessions.

“FUSION is special in its own ways. We had a lot of options in terms of what sessions we attended and what experiences we took away,” he said. “I went to a lot of the collegiate sessions where I was able to learn how to better yourself as an officer, work on recruiting new members and how to work with other collegiate Farm Bureau chapters from across the country on brainstorming.”

The FUSION Conference was held March 7-10 in Denver, Colorado.

For more information about Texas Farm Bureau’s collegiate program, visit texasfarmbureau.org/collegiate.

Texas A&M sophomore competes in national Collegiate Discussion Meet College students from across the nation competed in American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Collegiate Discussion Meet in early March.