By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
High school students passionate about agriculture and eager to develop solutions to the challenges facing farmers and ranchers can put their skills to the test in the 2025 Speak Out for Agriculture (SOFA) Challenge.
The contest is open to Texas 4-H and Texas FFA members.
Students should be interested in agriculture, membership organization involvement or public policy.
The contest, now in its fifth year, is sponsored by Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) and hosted by the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo.
“The SOFA Challenge is designed to push them outside their comfort zone and prepare them for leadership roles in the industry and beyond,” McKenna Bush, TFB Youth Outreach coordinator, said. “It gives students a chance to think critically, speak confidently and collaborate with others—all while tackling real issues facing agriculture today.”
The award-winning contest gives students an opportunity to develop problem-solving and communication skills, while also learning more about agriculture.
It helps students stimulate logical thinking and foster a desire for accurate information, and it provides an opportunity to network with their peers from across the state.
“The topics encourage students to think critically about agricultural issues and explore real solutions through group discussion,” Bush said. “Students will sharpen their communication skills, learn the value of collaboration and gain feedback from industry professionals. These are tools that are essential for creating meaningful change in agriculture and beyond.
The challenge includes an oral reasons style competition and a discussion meet style competition.
The first two rounds are the oral reasons competition where all participants will be asked a pre-selected question. Students will have time to prepare their response and deliver a 90-second answer to the judges.
Scores from rounds one and two will be used to determine the Sweet 16, which is a discussion meet style competition.
In the Sweet 16 round, contestants will participate in a discussion for 20 minutes on another topic. The final round will be a 25-minute discussion on one of the remaining topics.
The contestants are responsible for the exchange of ideas and information to solve the problem addressed in the topic and to develop action plans for the solution.
“Strong communication, both in person and online, is key to being an effective advocate for agriculture,” Bush said. “This contest helps students grow those skills while giving them a platform to share their voice. Plus, it’s a chance to earn scholarship money starting as early as their freshman year in high school.”
The winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship, jacket and banner. The runner-up will receive a $1,500 scholarship, jacket and banner.
Two finalists will receive $750 scholarships and jackets, and the top 16 contestants will each receive a $125 gift card.
Former SOFA Challenge winners are not eligible to compete.
The contest will be held Sept. 27 and 28 at the BASE at Extraco Events Center in Waco.
The discussion questions and topics, additional program details and a link to the online registration are available on texasfarmbureau.org/youth/youth-opportunities.
Contact youthactivities@txfb.org or call 254-399-5037 for questions about the contest.
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