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The 2023 Young Ag Professionals Winter Leadership Experience was held this past weekend at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. Young Ag Professionals from Adams, Brown, Clermont and Highland counties attended the 2023 Winter Leadership Experience. During this time our professionals were able to network with others around the state of Ohio, listen to keynote speakers such as Bill Patterson, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s president and the Iron Cowboy, while also having the opportunity to attend a variety of sessions to expand their knowledge on agricultural topics.

“If you want to accomplish great things, build a team around you that encourages, challenges and pushes you to be the best version of yourself. The YAP Winter Leadership Experience, attendees and Farm Bureau have opened many doors for myself personally and professionally. From attending my first YAP conference as a spectator to wrapping up my last eligible YAP year on a panel for opening ceremony and breakout session presenter. I encourage everyone to get involved, attend YAP events and as President Patterson shared, ‘Those that show up are the ones that are going to run the world,” said Dr. Sarah Ison, a member of Clermont County Farm Bureau who served on a guest panel of women influencers.

James Lawerence, also known as the Iron Cowboy who has done 50 Ironmans in 50 consecutive days, in 50 states said it best during the opening ceremonies: “There’s only two days in the entire world that don’t matter – yesterday and tomorrow.” 

Additionally, our members networked with Young Ag Professionals from across the state of Ohio and our very own, Adrianne Moran, got chosen to attend the FUSION Conference in the coming months.

The breakout sessions had speakers and topics covering a wide variety of topics. A few sessions that our members attended were “Making Your Brand Yours,” “Marketing for Small-Scale Food Businesses” and “How to Start a Flower Farm.” These sessions talked about creating a brand for yourself/business in addition to utilizing tools to market your products. There were even specific sessions about grain farming and generational planning. 

Young Active Members ages 18-24 enjoy all the benefits that our active members do, including having a voice in Farm Bureau’s ongoing advocacy and policy efforts. Farmers, agriculture students, or those whose work is directly impacted by the health of Ohio agriculture are invited to become a young active member.”  Learn more here!   

Featured image: Pictured L to R: Dalton Black (Adams County Young Ag Professional and Board Trustee), Adrianne Moran (Brown County Young Ag Professional and County Office Intern), Liz Piscopink-Meranda (Brown County Young Ag Professional) and Nathan Brown (District 20 trustee for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, representing Adams, Brown, Clermont and Highland counties)