The future of North Carolina agriculture can be seen in the faces of the men and women of North Carolina Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) program, which includes farmers ages 18 to 35.

This issue, North Carolina Farm Bureau Magazine profiles the three finalists for the annual YF&R Achievement Award, which is presented during the organization’s annual meeting.

John Allen

John Allen, 34, of Iredell County, runs a tree-farming operation alongside his parents, and is an agriculture speaker and advocate. He also completed NCFB’s Candidate School in 2008 and helped manage a friend’s political campaign.

“Politics and lobbying are of great importance to me,” he says. “At the local, state and federal levels, I have spoken in public forums, to elected officials and regulatory agencies about issues that affect agriculture through Farm Bureau and as president of my State Nursery and Landscape Association.”
Allen graduated from N.C. State University in 1996 with honors and planned to teach biology, but chose farming instead. He has helped his family farm expand from 80 acres in 1996 to 350 acres today.

Allen patented two new varieties of River Birch trees, Summer Cascade and Shiloh Splash, which are licensed for growth in the U.S., Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Allen sends half of the patent royalties to the Tree Breeding program at his alma mater.

Allen also grew Japanese cherry trees for the Washington Monument project.

He is active in his church and its youth group, and is a volunteer firefighter.

Brent and Sue Leggett

Brent, 33, and Sue Leggett, 28, from Nash County, own and operate Leggett Farms and Airport U-Pick Strawberry Farm.

Neither Brent nor Sue comes from a farming background, and they are self-made.

“A factor that has been crucial to the start up and growth of our farming operation is our willingness to take risk, and having an entrepreneurial spirit,” they say.

Their next venture is a retail farm market with educational tours open from spring to winter.

They started farming part-time in 2003, and now their 30-acre sweet potato farm has grown to 2,000 acres of row crops and vegetables. Sweet potatoes are still their biggest crop, and in 2007 they began raising certified sweet potato seed.

“This is a very involved enterprise,” they say. “It begins with having specialized greenhouses, in which first generation sweet potato plants are micropropagated.”

They say becoming shareholders in a top 100 rated produce company and in a cotton gin has increased their profitability.

The Leggetts have a son, Colin, 1, and are active in Farm Bureau and their church.

Jason and Robin Starnes

Jason Starnes, 31, and his wife, Robin, 23, of Rowan County are finalists for the second year in a row. He and his father grow corn, soybeans and wheat and raise beef cattle and poultry at Four S Farms, LLC.

Starnes says they are now adding precision farming practices to increase productivity.

“We know that in agriculture today efficiency and timeliness are two key ingredients to our success,” he says.

Jason oversees the farm’s new poultry operation, crop production and precision agriculture technology. He also stays busy with their popular hay operation.

Jason says he and Robin, a paralegal, care about their community and use their free time to tend neighbors’ yards.

“I believe that farmers need to be active in their local organizations, but not to the point that you sacrifice time with family and friends,” he says.

Jason and Robin have been married for two years. They teach Sunday School and are active in their community and in Farm Bureau countywide and statewide.

This past year, the couple started Rowan County Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers group.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Young Farmers Open Doors to New Worlds

Attaining knowledge can be likened to knocking open a door to a new world.

One way young farmers can force their way through the doors that might block their paths to greater prosperity includes the garnering of new knowledge through the experience of networking with participants of North Carolina Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers program.

New opportunities for social interaction and friendly competition are provided each year when young farmers vie for success in NCFB’s Achievement, Excellence in Agriculture and Discussion Meet competitions.

Did We Mention Prizes?
In addition to good company, new ideas and social interaction among peers, winners of various YF&R competitions at both the state and national levels receive several nice prizes.

Winners of NCFB’s Achievement, Excellence in Agriculture and Discussion Meet competitions receive an expense paid trip for themselves and their spouses to the 90th Annual American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

In Texas, AFBF’s Achievement Award winner will receive a 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck.
The winner also receives paid registration to the AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference to be held in Sacramento, Ca., in 2009. Four state runners-up will also receive prizes, which have yet to be determined.

The AFBF Discussion Meet winner will receive a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck. The winner of this competition will receive complimentary registration for the YF&R leadership conference in Sacramento. Finalists will also receive valuable prizes.

The winner of the AFBF Excellence in Agriculture award will take home a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck and finalists for the national prize will also receive significant awards.

North Carolina Prizes
During NCFB’s 73rd Annual Convention to be held in Greensboro in December, the Achievement Award and Discussion Meet winners will each receive an ATV or equivalent in prizes and gifts, as well as $500 from Dodge. Runners-up in the two categories will each receive $500. The Excellence in Agriculture state winner will receive $500 from NCFB and $500 from Dodge, while runners-up will each receive $200.

Collegiate Discussion Meet
The winner of NCFB’s college-level Discussion Meet will receive $500 and a trip to the AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference in Sacramento. Runners-up will receive $100.