By Julie Tomascik
Editor
What began as an idea among county Farm Bureau leaders came to life in the show ring during the inaugural District 3 Branded by the Bureau Stock Show.
Youth exhibitors from across North Texas counties in Texas Farm Bureau’s District 3 brought their steers and heifers to Wichita Falls for a day of friendly competition.
Banners were awarded. Prizes were handed out. And county leaders spent the day giving back to the future of the organization.
“We wanted to show what Farm Bureau is about. It’s about agriculture. It’s about our youth, and this is the perfect showcase for it,” said Layne Chapman, chairman of the Branded by the Bureau Stock Show and a Wilbarger County Farm Bureau board member. “We wanted to keep it efficient and focused entirely on benefiting the kids.”
That focus guided nearly two years of planning.
County leaders established a nonprofit structure, formed a board of directors and created committees to reach their goal of hosting a district-wide stock show for Farm Bureau member-families.
“We reached out to every county board within our district, and we asked them to nominate someone so we could begin the first brainstorming process,” Chapman said. “Nearly every county in our district is represented here today.”
Their hard work resulted in a total of 119 entries.
“We started with an idea we thought was pretty simple to promote agriculture, to support youth and possibly even build membership,” said Greg Buenger, TFB District 3 state director. “But putting together a show like this takes collaboration, patience, long hours and a lot of people willing to step up. Seeing it all come together and run smoothly made it worth every bit of effort.”
Chapman said beef cattle were a natural starting point, given the number of cattle raised in the district and the number of youth already involved in steer and heifer projects.
But the competition wasn’t just about banners and bragging rights. It also served a larger purpose to connect with Farm Bureau families in agriculture.
“Farm Bureau is about promoting agriculture and being visible in our communities,” said Michael White, former TFB District 3 state director and an advisor on the show board. “This show lets us support youth, highlight agriculture and help the next generation understand what Farm Bureau truly is.”
The Branded by the Bureau Stock Show reflected that mission in action, bringing together youth, agriculture and leadership all in one place: the show ring.
“It started with one idea,” Buenger said. “That’s how Farm Bureau works. Someone has an idea, others buy in, and it just grew from there.”
The county leaders in District 3 hope to see the concept expand across the state.
“This is about creating a footprint that can last and maybe even spread,” Chapman said. “If we do it right, this is something other districts could replicate.”
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