By Julie Tomascik
Editor
A Texan was elected to serve as the 2022 American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Committee chair.
Alisha Schwertner of Runnels County is the first Texan to lead the national committee.
“This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and something that’s so humbling. I’m honored to have been elected by our committee to serve in this role,” Schwertner said.
She was elected to the position by her fellow members on the national YF&R Committee, which is a program within Farm Bureau that provides networking and leadership development opportunities for next-generation leaders of the grassroots advocacy organization. Her one-year term begins in February at the end of the AFBF YF&R Conference.
As the chair, Schwertner will have a seat on the AFBF board of directors, help guide the national committee in its activities for the year and will serve as a spokesperson for the national YF&R program.
“We’re tasked with hosting the contests and finding new ways to get young farmers and ranchers involved in Farm Bureau and really engaging and retaining those members,” she said. “The average age of a farmer isn’t getting any younger, and it’s important, as that next generation of farmers and ranchers, that we continue to work toward gaining and retaining members of the Young Farmers & Ranchers program for Farm Bureau.”
She and her husband, Eric, grow cotton, corn, grain sorghum, wheat and hay. They have a small cow-calf herd they manage, as well.
In addition to helping with the farm, Schwertner is a product manager for John Deere.
The couple has three young boys: Lane, Caleb and Eli.
“I’m excited for the opportunities that this position will bring. I’m passionate about agriculture, and I’m passionate about Farm Bureau,” she said. “The reason Eric and I are so involved in Farm Bureau is because it is the future of agriculture. Our kids are why we do what we do. And our farm is why we’re so involved in Farm Bureau, working to influence the policies that will shape what happens in the future to our farm.”
In 2021, Schwertner was appointed to the AFBF YF&R Committee by AFBF President Zippy Duvall after being nominated by Texas Farm Bureau (TFB).
The Schwertners also serve as ex-officio members of TFB’s YF&R Committee.
For more information about young farmer and rancher programs and opportunities in Texas, visit texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.