Celebrate your Young Farmers with Champions of Excellence Awards

Every year county Farm Bureaus host events that live long in people’s memories. Maybe they brought new members together, connected consumers with agriculture, or gave young leaders the confidence to step up and get involved. Whatever it was, those moments matter, and Michigan Farm Bureau’s Champions of Excellence Awards program now includes a new opportunity to showcase them.

MFB’s new Young Farmer County Program Award recognizes outstanding county-level Young Farmer programs that create impactful experiences for members, from local volunteer projects and networking events to workshops.

One of the best parts? Your county’s program could inspire others across the state.

There are three levels of recognition:

Bronze-level honors are earned automatically if these criteria are met:

• The applying county Farm Bureau must have a documented Young Farmer chair.
• At least one Young Farmer membership campaign objective must be met.
• Complete at least one activity in each of the following areas between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026:
  • Volunteering at a county Farm Bureau event
  • Attending a county Farm Bureau event 
  • County or district Young Farmer event attendance
  • State Young Farmer competitions and awards
  • State and national Farm Bureau event attendance

Every Young Farmer chair who completes an application will receive Young Farmer apparel!

Silver and/or gold recognition levels are based on the application contents.

To earn silver or gold status, your bronze-level application must include additional information highlighting one event, its goals, and results.

To qualify for gold, the applying county Farm Bureau must meet both Young Farmer membership campaign objectives. 

The top three county programs will be recognized on stage at the 2027 Growing Together Conference. The gold program will take home $1,000; silver earns $750; and bronze receives $500. 

So if your county hosted a memorable event, created opportunities for Young Farmers to connect and grow, or found a creative way to strengthen involvement this year, now is the time to share it. Your efforts warrant recognition — and it might just inspire the next great Young Farmer program. 

Apply by July 1!