Tennessee Farm Bureau Members Take Part in the 107th American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

During the 107^th annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Anaheim, California, more than 160 Tennessee Farm Bureau members took part in educational sessions, farm tours, a trade show, competitions, networking events and much more.

Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers represented the Volunteer State extremely well in each of the three contests held at the national level - the achievement award, excellence in agriculture and discussion meet. Those representatives were Robert Hill of Lauderdale County, Alyssa Clements of Clay County and Coty Vannoy of Maury County.

Robert Hill made it to the top ten in the achievement award contest, which recognizes young farmers who have excelled in their farming operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. As a fifth-generation farmer, Hill farms with his family in the Gates community of West Tennessee. The family farm consists of around 5,000 acres of cotton, corn and soybeans. Since coming back to the farm full-time in 2014, Hill has helped more than double the operation's size, including most recently adding sweet corn, pumpkins, watermelons and cut flowers he sells via social media and at farmers markets. Hill and his wife, Samantha, are proud to be diversifying the farm and ensuring the legacy continues.

Alyssa Clements of Clay County was named runner-up in the excellence in agriculture contest. This award recognizes young farmers who do not derive the majority of their income from an agricultural operation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, their leadership ability and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. Clements serves as a sales specialist for Purina Mills, LLC and Protrition, a joint venture with Tennessee Farmers Cooperative. Her area covers a large region in middle Tennessee and south-central Kentucky where she assists producers in developing nutrition plans around forages and farm-grown feedstuffs. At home, Clements and her husband, Adam Boucher, are proud to be raising their son, Amos, on her family farm where they raise commercial cattle.

Coty Vannoy made it to the sweet sixteen round in the discussion meet. This intense competition is designed to simulate a committee meeting in which active discussion and participation are expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a predetermined topic. Vannoy and his wife, Shelby, raise sheep and sell various agritourism products off the farm. By day, he is an agricultural educator at Columbia Central High School where he enjoys investing in the next generation of agriculturalists.

Thirty-six women from across the state participated in the annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Women, and then Tennessee delegates spent the final official day at the business session discussing and determining policy for the national farm organization. A total of 348 voting delegates, of which Tennessee Farm Bureau has 36, representing every crop and livestock sector in the U.S. deliberated on policies affecting farmers' productivity and profitability. The policies approved at the convention will guide the nation's largest general farm organization throughout 2026.