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Staff Reports

MACON, Ga. – Wilcox County Farm Bureau (WCFB) Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Chairwoman Addie Tucker was a finalist for the 2023 Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award, and WCFB member Bristol Wells advanced to the final four of the 2023 YF&R Discussion Meet.

The Excellence in Agriculture award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who earn most of their income from something other than production agriculture. Applicants are judged on agricultural involvement, Farm Bureau involvement and other leadership activities.

Discussion Meet competitors talk about agricultural issues and possible solutions in a committee-style forum. It’s conducted in tournament style, with all contestants going through two preliminary rounds. Then the top 16 compete to see who advances to the final four.

The awards were presented and the finalists were recognized during the GFB YF&R Summer Leadership Conference, held July 12-15 on Jekyll Island.

Tucker works as an agriculture teacher at Wilcox County Elementary School, teaching students in first through sixth grades about the importance of agriculture and about various agricultural commodities.

Cole and Nicole Roper of Franklin County and Jay Moon of Morgan County the other finalists in the Excellence in Agriculture Award competition. The Ropers won the competition. All three finalist families received $500 cash.

Wells works as compliance manager for Integrated Linehaul Solutions, runs 4:10 Events (an event planning service) and a food safety consulting service.

The other final four competitors in the Discussion Meet were Heather Cabe of Franklin County, Rachel Dunaway of Floyd County and Andy Paul of Oglethorpe County. Paul won the competition. All the finalists received $350 cash.

Topics the contestants discussed were how to address water management challenges, how Farm Bureau can welcome and engage diverse agricultural communities, how to meet sustainability goals and continue to feed a growing population and how to help elected officials understand challenges farmers.

Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance sponsors all the GFB YF&R awards.

The GFB Young Farmers & Ranchers program is designed to provide leadership development, educational and social opportunities for farmers between the ages of 18 and 35.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization and has 158 county offices. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, state and national activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors. GFB offers its members a wide variety of benefits, including insurance, but enrollment in any of the member benefits is optional and not a requirement for membership.