By Julie Tomascik
Editor

Mattison Smith’s idea for an agricultural-focused lifestyle app and website for farmers and ranchers to sell their products and goods to local community members earned her the top award in Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) AgVentures Challenge: Pitch It, Market It, Sell It state contest.

Smith, who is a senior at Quitman High School, also took home a $6,000 scholarship as the winner.

Now in its second year, the contest challenges high school seniors to develop and deliver a creative marketing pitch for an agricultural commodity, product or service.

“The AgVentures Challenge is a Shark Tank style competition with the students pitching their products to a panel of judges. The products don’t have to be real, but they do have to pertain to agriculture,” McKenna Bush, TFB Youth Outreach coordinator, said. “These students accepted the challenge and developed unique and creative pitches. They analyzed their target audiences, researched potential competitors and created memorable presentations.”

Smith’s product aims to give farmers and ranchers another avenue to market their products locally through an online service.

“This product would focus solely on agricultural goods and products and plays into the trend of online shopping for ease and convenience for consumers,” Smith said.

The runner-up in the state contest was Joseph Polster, a senior at Hamilton High School.

He developed a tool to lead to a safer work environment with fewer injuries for farmers and ranchers who are building fences.

“This device holds the fence post while someone else is driving the post into the ground. That way you don’t have to risk getting injured,” Polster said.

As the runner-up, he received a $4,000 scholarship.

Other state finalists in the top six of the competition included:

  • Whitley Anderson of Scurry-Stonewall-Kent County Farm Bureau;
  • Justin Hill of Moore County Farm Bureau;
  • Jhett Davis of Johnson County Farm Bureau;
  • Aubrey Ellis of Rush County Farm Bureau.

They each received a $2,000 scholarship.

The top six finalists also will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. this summer to meet with elected officials and tour historical sites.

Four other state finalists included:

  • Lily Logan of Harris County Farm Bureau;
  • Ammileigh Smith of Coke-Sterling County Farm Bureau;
  • Caleb Rappolee of Leon County Farm Bureau;
  • Tymber Reust of Cass County Farm Bureau.

They each received $1,500 scholarships.

Contest details
The contest is open to high school seniors who completed TFB’s Thrive experience last August.

Thrive is part of TFB’s Student Success Series, which includes virtual and in-person programs for students in eighth through twelfth grade. The Student Success Series aims to help students develop a better understanding of advocacy, learn more about Farm Bureau and grow personal and professional skills they can use in the classroom and future careers.

Ten finalists participated in the state AgVentures Challenge where they created an agricultural product, developed a marketing pitch and presented their ideas to a panel of judges.

The state contest took place at TFB’s Conference and Training Center in Waco Jan. 26.

For more information about the Student Success Series, visit texasfarmbureau.org/student-success-series.