Ag News

Anderson, Marchants, Thurmond win GFB YF&R competitions

By Jay Stone, Georgia Farm Bureau

Cason Anderson, Kaitlyn and Kaleb Marchant and Cain Thurmond emerged as the winners in the Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) competitive events. The winners were announced during closing session of the 2024 YF&R Summer Leadership Conference, held July 17-20 on Jekyll Island.

Anderson, from Houston County, won the GFB YF&R Achievement Award, given to recognize farmers and ranchers aged 18-35 who earn the majority of their income from production agriculture. Other finalists for the Achievement Award were Chris and Paige Little of White County and Luke and Allie Andrews of Lamar County. The finalist families were selected from all submitted applications and were interviewed by judges on July 17 at the conference.

The Marchants, from Oglethorpe County, won the YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award, given to recognize agriculturalists aged 18-35 who earn the majority of their income from something other than production agriculture. Other finalists were Bryan and Addie Tucker of Wilcox County and Austin and Shelby Waldroup of Troup County. The finalists gave their final round presentations to judges on July 17.

Thurmond, from Jackson County, won the YF&R Discussion Meet. The discussion meet is a series of committee-style meetings in which contestants hash over issues and solutions related to a specific ag-related topic. Thurmond emerged from a field of 29 contestants from across the state. The entire competition was held at the conference. In the first of two preliminary rounds on July 18, competitors talked about how Farm Bureau can continue to provide value and opportunity to welcome members from across the broad diversity of modern agriculture.

In the Final Four, which featured the winners of each of four Sweet 16 rooms, the discussion centered on how Farm Bureau can work with energy companies, local governments and rural communities to increase domestic energy production, minimize loss of agricultural land and protect private property rights.

The winners in each competition receive a John Deere Gator, sponsored by Lasseter Equipment Company, a cash prize and an expense-paid trip to the 2025 American Farm Bureau convention in San Antonio, Texas, in January. The finalists in each competition received cash prizes.

Torrie Reed  of Gilmer County won the YF&R Collegiate Discussion Meet, prevailing against Jesse Cronic of Jackson County, Joey Blackstock of Jackson County and Adam Caudell of Habersham County. They were the top four collegiate contestants in the YF&R Discussion Meet and competed in the first-ever GFB Collegiate Final Four.

Bryan Bledsoe of Pulaski County won the YF&R Photo Contest with his aerial photo of two tractors digging peanuts. The photo contest was decided through online voting during the conference. The top 12 photos will be featured in the 2025 GFB YF&R calendar, and Bledsoe’s photo will be the cover.

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