By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
County Farm Bureaus that want to boost engagement with young farmers and ranchers can do so through Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) County Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Incentive Program.
“The program came about because we had younger members attending our YF&R state programs looking for ways to stay engaged on the local level,” Whit Weems, TFB director of Organization, said. “And for the counties that have really embraced it, the incentive program has been highly successful at bringing more young farmers and ranchers to the table.”
The program encourages county boards to appoint a YF&R chair that is 35 years of age or younger; develop a YF&R county committee of three or more young farmers and ranchers; develop a county program of work that includes a YF&R event or activity in the county separate from state activities; to send one new couple or individual to the YF&R Conference or Fall Tour; and have an applicant participate in YF&R contests, including Outstanding YF&R, Excellence in Agriculture or Discussion Meet.
“The incentive program is basically a roadmap of five things counties can do to get young people more involved in their programs,” Weems said. “Having a YF&R committee can really bring a new viewpoint to county planning and be a great way to draw more people of all ages into productive conversations about agriculture.”
To be eligible for incentive awards, the program criteria must be met between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2020.
The county YF&R committee may earn up to $350 in cash and TFB-branded items, depending on the number of incentive activities completed.
“We hope to engage young farmers and ranchers at the local level and let them know some of the benefits of being involved in Farm Bureau,” YF&R Advisory Committee Chair Jesse Wieners said. “We need to continue to cultivate young leaders who can share the real stories of agriculture.”
Innovative county activities can be a big draw for young members looking to get connected to other farmers and ranchers.
“We’ve had county Farm Bureaus come up with some very popular activities,” Weems said. “They’ve done things like host a ‘5K on the Farm’ event and banded together for hurricane relief fundraising after Hurricane Harvey. The rewards are obvious when you have great attendance at your county events.”
Honoring tradition while building a bridge to the future of the county and state organization is a worthwhile endeavor, Weems noted.
“Many of these folks will be leaders of Texas Farm Bureau tomorrow,” he said. “We need to be sure they have the resources now to tackle that challenge when it’s their time.”
For more information and to access the 2020 YF&R Incentive Program booklet and application, visit https://texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.
Contact Weems at 254.399.5030 or youngfarmers@txfb.org with questions.