Finalists in the Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF) contest are, from left, Mitchell and Rebecca Henry, Lawrence County; Carla and Daniel Trantham, Calhoun County; and Anna and Brady Peek, Limestone County. OYFF finalists will compete for more than $70,000 in prizes during on-farm judging this summer.
Young Farmers Embrace Leadership Opportunities By Jeff Helms p-and-coming agriculturalists were U encouraged to embrace leadership opportunities in their businesses,
communities and farm organization during the Alabama Farmers Federation Young Farmers Conference March 4-6 in Gulf Shores. Federation President Jimmy Parnell drew on personal experiences in encouraging the crowd of 375 current and future leaders during the event’s kickoff dinner at the Lodge at Gulf State Park. “I started in a room similar to this, just like each of you,” said Parnell, who was inspired to seek the presidency as a former State Young Farmers Committee chair and Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF) winner. “I’m very proud of this program, and I’m proud to have each of you involved. If you want to make a difference in agriculture, you are doing it in this room. This is where it starts.” 4
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Educational workshops focused on preparing young farmers for public service, business success and Federation involvement. The organization’s endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate, Katie Britt, visited with farm
families before the opening banquet, where she praised their personal character and hard work. “I’ve had an opportunity to see the Federation from many different angles,” she said. “There is no other association
Katie Britt, the FarmPAC-endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate, joined young farmers Friday night for “Kickoff with Katie,” a time to mingle and visit one-on-one. Britt spoke with nearly 400 farmers at the event, including Slate Wallace of Franklin County. alfafarmers.org
