Young Farmer and Rancher Update
Susan Wilkins, YF&R Vice-chair
The
American
Farm Bureau
Federation
Annual
Meeting in
Nashville,
Tennessee saw several young
farmers from West Virginia in
attendance. Six of us enjoyed the
beautiful Gaylord Opryland Hotel,
site of this year’s Annual Meeting.
While in Nashville, the group
attended sessions and workshops
and networked with other
young people from around the
country. In addition, the YF&R
Discussion Meet, Achievement
Award, and Excellence in Ag
Award were all played out on a
national stage. While we did not
have any competitors from West
Virginia, we enjoyed cheering
on Eva Leatherman Hurley and
her husband Brandon from South
Carolina in the Achievement
Award category. Eva, a graduate
of West Virginia University, is the
daughter of George and Miriam
Leatherman of Hardy County.
I always come away from these
meetings feeling positive and
uplifted. No matter how moved
I am by a speech (and we heard
some good ones!) or how much
I learn in workshops, the thing I
love the most is being surrounded
by more than 6,000 other farmers
and ranchers from around our
great country. Folks may be from
as far away as Hawaii, California,
Maine, and Washington; but
all feel the same way about
agriculture as I do. It truly makes
a person realize how close-knit
we all are, no matter how many
miles may be between us. An
incredibly proud moment for me
(and for those in attendance from
West Virginia) was when Lois Alt
and her family were recognized by
President Stallman at the General
Session for her recent lawsuit
against the Environment Protection
Agency. Lois Alt is a wonderful
example of what we all need to be
more like – unafraid to stand up
for ourselves and fight back when
our livelihoods are threatened by
people or organizations that do not
understand what we do.
in this together, we have a support
network that is over 6 million
farm families strong who are all
members of this great organization
we call the Farm Bureau. I
often encourage folks to get
more involved by advocating for
agriculture and taking action on
legislative issues. But today I am
encouraging you to do something
different. My challenge to you is
to find ways in the New Year just
to be surrounded by other folks
who feel strongly about the future
of agriculture – purely for the joy
of the fellowship. Your life will be
better for it.
As 2013 plays
out, American
agriculture
may in for a
struggle. The
one thing we all
must remember
is that we are
in this together.
Farmers in West
Virginia have the
same worries,
doubts and
fears as farmers
in Nebraska,
Missouri, and
California –
worries over
drought, est