Putnam County’s Danielle Grant Finishes in Top Four
in American Farm Bureau’s Discussion Meet
West Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmer
Committee member Danielle Grant finished in the
top four nationally in the American Farm Bureau
YF&R Discussion Meet competition in Orlando,
Florida in January.
The Discussion Meet simulates a committee
meeting in which active discussion and
participation are expected. Participants use four
bases for the general discussion: cooperation,
constructive criticism, problem solving and
communication, and are evaluated on their
ability to exchange ideas and information on a
predetermined topic.
Grant, an Agriculture Sciences teacher and FFA
advisor at Buffalo High School in Putnam County,
competed against contenders from 35 other states,
battling through four rounds of discussions on
topics ranging from water regulation and animal
welfare to burdensome federal regulations and
right-to-farm laws. Grant won the Discussion Meet
competition at the West Virginia Farm Bureau
Annual Meeting in November, which qualified her
to compete at the national level.
Chris Van Vlack of Virginia won the Discussion
Meet. He will have his choice of either a 2016
Chevrolet Silverado or a 2016 GMC Sierra,
courtesy of Chevrolet, plus free registration to the
YF&R Leadership Conference.
Danielle, along with the two other runners-up in
the Discussion Meet, Dean Cheshire of Florida and
Hunter Grills of Tennessee, will receive a Case
IH Farmall 50A tractor, courtesy of Case IH, and
$3,000 in cash and STIHL merchandise, courtesy
of STIHL.
During the final round of the competition,
Grant’s students at Buffalo High were able to
watch over a live stream of the event, along with
friends and family.
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 11