July 25, 2018
www.gfb.org
Vol. 36 No. 15
YOUNG FARMERS AND RANCHERS GAIN GROUND AT CONFERENCE For Georgia farmers, “gaining ground” might mean acquiring more land, advancing the cause of agriculture, increasing knowledge or meeting new friends. All that and more was the case at the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Leadership Conference held July 19-21 on Jekyll Island. The conference itself gained ground, with registration swelling to about 400 people, who were treated to a variety of educational sessions, social gatherings, competitive events and thoughtprovoking discussions on reaching consumers who have no connection to farming. The young farmers and ranchers also advanced their cause through charitable giving. Young farmers and ranchers brought in change they collected at county Farm Bureau offices in the “Calf’s Weight in Change” fundraiser for the Georgia Food Bank Association. The drive resulted in donations of $2,958.06. Farm Bureau Bank committed to matching the donations, so the total raised was $5,916.12. Laurens County Farm Bureau won the awards for total weight of change collected (145 pounds) and total dollar amount collected ($491.53). The GFB 6th District donated the highest total weight in change (186 pounds) and the total dollar amount collected ($845). Educational sessions led by GFB staff and experts from public and private organizations that support agriculture covered business, advocacy and education/policy topics. “Farm Babe” Michelle Miller gave the keynote speech during the morning general session on July 21, discussing social advocacy for agriculture. “You can use social media to bridge the gap between people like you and people out there who don’t know about agriculture,” Miller said. She named a number of information outlets that spread inaccurate or misleading information about farming and advised the YF&R crowd to smarten up their social media news feeds and to check sources of articles they see before sharing them. -continued on next page