By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Several Texans will compete in the 2023 American Farm Bureau Convention set for Jan. 6-11 in Puerto Rico.
Bethany Wanoreck of Nueces County Farm Bureau will represent Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) in the Achievement Award competition. This contest recognizes the accomplishments of young agricultural leaders between the ages of 18 and 35 who actively earn a living from farming and ranching.
Wanoreck co-owns the farm with her husband, Travis. They grow corn, grain sorghum and cotton in Bee, Jim Wells and Nueces counties. They implement minimum tillage and strip-till practices on their farms to help reduce soil erosion and increase organic matter. They also provide custom planting and harvesting to other farmers in the area.
In addition to farming, Bethany is the district nurse for Orange Grove ISD.
She and her husband represent District 13 on the TFB YF&R Advisory Committee. She is active in YF&R events and other activities at the state and county levels, including the Nueces County Farm Bureau scholarship committee.
The TFB representative in the Excellence in Agriculture competition is Kristin Warner of Hays County. This contest is designed for young farmers and ranchers ages 18 to 35 who are involved in agriculture but do not earn their primary income from a farm or ranch enterprise.
Warner is a technical sales representative and product development specialist with Syngenta Vegetable Seeds. She helps bring new vegetable varieties to market for growers to plant. Her responsibilities include grower and dealer engagement, trial development and industry involvement to represent Syngenta.
Warner serves as the Hays County Farm Bureau board secretary and is a graduate of TFB’s AgLead-FarmLead program. She also helps the county organization with various activities and advocacy events.
Warner also represented TFB on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Technology Issues Advisory Committee, which focuses on data privacy, biotechnology, new breeding techniques and more.
Chase Brooke of Collin County will represent TFB in the Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet. Through this contest, Brooke will discuss agricultural issues facing farmers and ranchers and potential solutions to those problems.
Brooke is the County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Collin County with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. In this position, he provides education and research-based information to local farmers, ranchers and landowners to help them find solutions to the challenges they face.
He’s involved in the community by serving on local boards and organizations, including the Collin County Farm Bureau board of directors. He coordinates Young Farmer & Rancher activities in the county and led the efforts for a county scholarship recognition event. Brooke attends several TFB events throughout the year, including Young Farmer & Rancher activities.
AFBF Convention information
A virtual option, which includes access to various workshops and keynote addresses, is available for those unable to attend the convention in Georgia. Virtual attendees can ask questions to the speakers via the chat function in the platform and have their questions answered live.
Virtual-only registration is $25. Click here for an agenda and to register.
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