Talented talkers rise to occasion in Discussion Meet

32 young farmers will compete in MFB public speaking contest

GRAND RAPIDS, Dec. 3, 2008 — At a time when instant text messaging and fragmented communication are all the rage, it’s good to know the art of conversation has not been lost on today’s young farmers.

In fact, 32 young farmers between the ages of 18 and 35 will put their conversation skills to the ultimate test as contestants in the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) 2008 Young Farmer Discussion Meet. The event takes place Dec. 3 as part of the MFB 89th Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.

The public speaking contest judges contestants on their timed analysis of current agricultural topics, delivery and cooperative attitude. Contestants will compete in two initial rounds before the group is narrowed down to compete in semi-final and final rounds. The Discussion Meet winner and top six finalists will be announced later in the day at MFB’s Celebrating Michigan’s Rising Stars banquet.

Contestants are eligible to compete in the state contest after successfully advancing in district meets.

This year, the MFB Discussion Meet contestants will answer the following questions:

How can the aging infrastructure of the United States support the transportation of agricultural commodities in the future?

How do land grant universities remain on the forefront of an ever-changing agricultural environment?

How can common misconceptions about the Farm Bureau organization be corrected?

How can Farm Bureau utilize the leaders it develops through the Young Farmer program once individuals have outgrown the program?

The top six finalists will receive a prize package sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Farm Bureau Family Credit Union and Grainger.

The winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Iowa to visit the John Deere world headquarters and a John Deere factory, courtesy of JDE Equipment Co.; a $500 cash prize from General Motors; a prize sponsored by the Farm Bureau Family Credit Union and Grainger; and sponsorship to the 2009 MFB Young Farmer Leaders’ Conference.

In addition, the winner will have the opportunity to compete in the Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Discussion Meet at the American Farm Bureau Federation 90th Convention and Annual Meeting, Jan. 11-14 in San Antonio, Texas. The national winner will receive a 2009 “nicely equipped” Dodge Ram 2500 and paid registration to the 2009 YF&R Leadership Conference, Feb. 7-9, 2009 in Sacramento, Calif. Each of the three national runners-up will receive a $6,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a Farm Boss on behalf of Stihl. All national competitors will receive an inscribed plaque.

Also on Dec. 3 in conjunction with the MFB meeting, the Michigan FFA will hold its state-level Discussion Meet for high school finalists.

MFB is the state’s largest general farm organization, representing more than 47,000 farm families.

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Editor’s Note: A list of MFB Discussion Meet contestants follows. Visit http://www.michfb.com/annual for contest results and photos from the awards ceremony. For more information after Dec. 5, contact Young Farmer Department Manager Lori Chamberlain at (800) 292-2680, ext. 3234.

2008 Young Farmer Discussion Meet Contestants

(Confirmed as of Nov. 20, and listed by County Farm Bureau membership)

District 1

Cody Johncock - Sturgis, St. Joseph County

James Schwartz - Leonidas, St. Joseph County

Sara Springsteen - Centreville, St. Joseph County

William Schultz - Mattawan, Van Buren County

District 2

Brian Preston - Quincy, Branch County

Scott Welden - Jonesville, Hillsdale County

Rebecca Lozuaway - Jerome, Jackson County

District 3

John Delmotte - Monroe, Monroe County

Christina Lange - Maybee, Monroe County

Michael Genovese - Oxford, Oakland County

District 4

Bradley Lubbers - Hamilton, Allegan County

Renee McCauley - Lowell, Kent County

Kevin Nugent - Lowell, Kent County

District 5

Jill Cords - Charlotte, Eaton County

Caleb Stewart - Bannister, Clinton County

Betty Jo Nash - Mason, Ingham County

Tim Kiesling - Corunna, Shiawassee County

District 6

Rob Haag - Sebewaing, Huron County

Andrew Kirsch - Harbor Beach, Huron County

Amanda Kutchey - Macomb, Macomb County

District 7

Cheryl Strautz - Stanton, Montcalm County

Matthew Block - Conklin, Muskegon County

Nicholas Eadie - Conklin, Muskegon County

District 8

David Vandenboom - Munger, Bay County

Ben Ritter - Saginaw, Bay County

Peter Maxwell - Beaverton, Gladwin County

District 9

Andrew Benson - Cadillac, Wexford County

District 10

Isaac Matchett - Charlevoix, Charlevoix County

Matt Horrocks - Cheboygan, Cheboygan County

Matt Jakubik - West Branch, Iosco County

District 11

Judith Bishop - Pickford, Chippewa County

Carl McBroom - Vulcan, Dickinson County (Iron Range Farm Bureau)