Four Attend National Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference

Four members of the Lamar Community College Collegiate Farm Bureau were selected to attend the 2015 National Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference on February 13-16 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Jordan Jones, Keaton Buxton, Ashlin Stolz, and Roger Unwin were nominated to attend the conference after participation in the Prowers County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and the Colorado State Collegiate Discussion Meet held this past November.

Left to Right: Ashlin Stolz, Keaton Buxton, Jordan Jones, and Roger Unwin get a break from the long drive to Tennessee.

The conference, held annually each February, provides a centralized setting to meet and discuss current practices in agriculture along with future opportunities for young producers from across the United States and Canada.  Roger Unwin commented, “My favorite part of the conference was seeing and meeting people from other parts of the U.S. and learning what they do in agriculture.”

Left to Right: Roger Unwin, Keaton Buxton, Jordan Jones, and Ashlin Stolz visit The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s home and plantation.

Along with nearly 800 other young farmers and ranchers from all over the country, these four took part in three days of networking, educational mini-sessions, and round-table agriculture discussions at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Conference Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  In addition to the traditional conference sessions, the students also had the opportunity to tour the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and visit President Andrew Jackson’s home, the Hermitage, and plantation.

Left to Right: Keaton Buxton, Roger Unwin, Ashlin Stolz, and Jordan Jones stop for a picture between sessions at the National Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference.

“These experiences are often once in a lifetime opportunities for our students,” stated Danielle Wollert, LCC Collegiate Farm Bureau Advisor.  “It is rewarding to see students build lasting relationships with their peers in agriculture from around the country and compare farming and ranching practices.  It is equally important that they share their own concerns and challenges with others who may have already found a solution that they can implement on their own operations when they return home.”

For more information or to become involved with LCC’s Collegiate Farm Bureau, contact Danielle Wollert at danielle.wollert@lamarcc.edu or719.940.0870.

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