By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Collegiate Discussion Meet offers college students an opportunity to develop public speaking skills and critical thinking.

This year’s contest is set for April 5-7 at TFB’s Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Spring Conference in Waco.

The contest, which is hosted by TFB’s YF&R Advisory Committee, is a roundtable discussion to help college students better understand issues facing all sectors of agriculture—farming, ranching, agribusiness, the food supply chain and more.

Roundtable discussion on two of the five possible agricultural topics will take place on Friday, April 5. A final round consisting of the top four contestants will take place on Saturday, April 6.

“Collegiate Discussion Meet is a great contest for students to put their professional skills and knowledge base to use and win cash prizes along the way,” Roger Hall, TFB associate director of Organization Division, Leadership Development, said. “It is also a great way to meet folks across the state with common interests. Students should not only come for the contest, but the networking opportunities and expertise shared by speakers.”

To participate, contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 35, enrolled in an undergraduate degree program and must have an interest in agriculture.

Professional speakers and former Collegiate Discussion Meet winners are not eligible to compete.

The winner will take home a $2,500 cash award and will receive expense-paid trips to the TFB Annual Meeting in December and the American Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet in March 2025.

The runner-up will receive a $1,500 cash prize and an expense-paid trip to the TFB Annual Meeting.

The remaining finalists will each receive $750.

Registration for the YF&R Spring Conference and Collegiate Discussion Meet is available online through MyTFB and closes Feb. 23.

The Collegiate Discussion Meet Manual, which include the topics, room setup and more, can be found online at texasfarmbureau.org/YFR. Additional registration information, including costs and the sign up link, is also available.

Contact youngfarmers@txfb.org with questions related to the contest or the organization’s YF&R program.

For more information and to apply, visit texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.

YF&R Spring Conference
College students participating in the Collegiate Discussion Meet can also attend the YF&R Spring Conference.

The conference will feature breakout sessions on business planning, media training and agricultural financing. Other sessions will include environmental issues, business professionalism and a look at the future of agriculture.

Veterinarian and agricultural influencer Dr. Marissa Hake, DVM, will be the keynote speaker.

For more information on the conference, visit texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.