By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Students in the graduating classes of 2027 and 2028 participated in Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) district Engage events, helping them build connections with their peers and local leaders.

Engage is an in-person event hosted in each of the 13 TFB districts as part of TFB’s Student Success Series.

Through the event, students engaged with community leaders in agriculture and western industries, gained insight about the free enterprise system, developed a personal brand and learned how to have an engaging presence on social media platforms. They also learned more about youth opportunities provided by TFB.

“Engage gives students the opportunity to network with peers across their Farm Bureau district while sharpening the leadership skills they’re developing through other extracurricular activities,” McKenna Bush, TFB Youth Outreach coordinator, said.

Over 200 students across the state participated in Engage this year.

As a part of the district events, students were able to tour a local agricultural operation.

“Through local tours, students made connections with an agricultural business, farm or ranch in their area. That allowed them to learn about agriculture specific to their area and establish relationships with local producers,” Bush said.

Students who participate in the Engage event are eligible to compete in TFB’s Free Enterprise Speech Contest. This is a district-level contest where students prepare and deliver their speech via video recording. Prizes for the top three competitors in each district include: first place, $250 cash prize; second place, $150 cash prize; and third place, $75 cash prize.

Additional programs will be held this summer and fall for the remaining Student Success Series programs: Jumpstart, Activate and Thrive.

For more information about youth programs and activities, visit texasfarmbureau.org/youth/youth-opportunities/.