Young Farmers sow the seeds of success at 2023 Winter Expo

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS

BY CHRISTINA AMANO DOLAN

Everyone’s success starts somewhere, and some young farmers took a step toward it during the 2023 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer’s Winter Expo.

A record number of 240 young farmers gathered at Berry Hill Resort in South Boston Feb. 24-26 for a weekend of workshopping, networking and more.

The expo, themed “Planting for Success,” kicked off with tours of the NOVEC Halifax County Biomass Plant and interactive workshops featuring YouTuber Meredith Bernard of This Farm Wife. Sharing her journey from a corporate sales job to vlogging about motherhood on the farm, Bernard emphasized the importance of authentic storytelling in an age of transparency. She and other panelists discussed how social media catapulted their struggling startups into thriving businesses.

“All of our stories matter, and we live in a time where there’s a lot of people who want to tell our stories for us,”

Bernard said. “It’s so important for us as farmers, ranchers and growers to be involved in telling our stories our way.”

Experienced farmers offer advice

VFBF Young Farmers, FFA state officers, college students and Farm Bureau staff gathered for a networking reception, recognitions and a panel discussion with local farmers.

Robert J. Mills Jr., a member of the VFBF board of directors, congratulated first-time attendees on taking “the first step” toward success.

“Today, your life is different,” Mills said. “You’ve stepped outside of that boundary, and you are experiencing one of the greatest assets that we have in this organization.”

Workshops benefit farmers and nonfarmers

Saturday morning’s workshops tackled important topics such as redistricting, farm use vehicle laws, farm safety and reaching out to underrepresented groups in agriculture.

Agriculture advocate Brittany Bowman said although she is not a farmer, she found the workshops beneficial. She has served as VFBF ambassador and has worked in agricultural communications.

“It was really helpful to see all the different operations and learn about agritourism, how to build your business and different ways to stay connected to the industry,” she said. “It can open so many doors for you even if you aren’t in agriculture.”

After morning workshops, some young farmers toured Locust Level Farm for a deep dive into black Angus genetics. One group visited the Randolph-Henry High School Agriculture Land Lab, and another toured Huber Engineered Woods LLC and Ronnie “RG” Owen’s tobacco and wheat farm.

SharkFarmer shares key to success

That evening, participants heard inspiring words from Rob Sharkey, also known as “The SharkFarmer.” The Illinois grain farmer shared his family’s journey from near bankruptcy to his reaching global success as a podcast, radio and TV host on Sirius XM, PBS and SharkFarmer TV.

Echoing the everyday triumphs and struggles of the modern farmer while tackling bold topics, Sharkey’s broadcasts resonate with millions of weekly listeners.

“There’s a lot of times when we let things in our lives pull us down,” he said. “But it’s a lot better if you don’t try to struggle with it alone.”

Concluding his remarks, he urged audience members to embrace change and leave room for the next generation of young farmers.

“If they fail, it’s going to be the best lesson they ever learn,” he explained. “But if they succeed, they succeed. That’s what this is all about.”

The Young Farmers Summer Expo will be held July 28-30 in Page County.

Discussions with experienced farmers about various farming operations were part of the expo, and even the youngest members joined in during a cattle handling demonstration at Locust Level Farm.