Local farmers, ranchers attend leadership conference

More than 500 farmers and ranchers aged 18 to 35 from across Missouri recently attended the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Leadership Conference hosted by the Missouri Farm Bureau.

The conference, held from Feb. 9 to 11 at Margaritaville Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks, is touted by the Farm Bureau as its largest conference in the nation.

The event offered educational and fun experiences for the attendees, with a variety of breakout sessions covering topics such as farm succession planning, market outlooks for 2024, record-keeping, and farm and ranch security.

Participants also had the opportunity to network with others in the industry and meet state YF&R committee members. While adults participated in a wine and beer tasting after their breakout session, children could attend their own sessions and were able watch a tractor pull.

One of the conference's big draws was the YF&R discussion meeting, where a panel of four young farmers discussed water management challenges and how the Farm Bureau can help find solutions for farmers and ranchers.

Bollinger County sent 13 attendees to the conference.