News
February 11, 2019
Miss the Farm and Ranch Conference?
Topic: Events
NDFB Farm and Ranch Conference brings inspiration
Young farmers and ranchers gathered January 25-26 in Bismarck for the Farm and Ranch Conference. The conference included breakout sessions, speakers and a discussion meet.
Starting the conference off was American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher Chair, Paul Molesky.
“The theme of my Farm Bureau career has been saying yes,” said Molesky. “Being an agriculture advocate isn’t always easy. People are demanding to know where the food is coming from and how it is produced. The need for a unified voice for agriculture has never been greater.”
Friday evening included Dr. Gary Sides, speaking about, “Modern Ag in a Facebook Culture.” Dr. Sides keyed in on the nutritional profile of beef.
“It has all the essential amino acids, which you cannot get in a vegetarian/vegan diet,” said Sides. "When it is essential, it means your body can’t make that particular amino acid, which is the building block of your proteins.”
During Saturday’s lunch, attendees heard from Val Wagner of Monango, N.D. Wagner is an advocate for agriculture and was able to meet President Trump at the AFBF Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La. President Trump used comments Wagner submitted to the White House about regulatory reform. The President recognized Wagner during his speech to AFBF attendees and mentioned her home town of 33 people.
Saturday night’s speaker was Former Miss America Cara Mund, sharing her experience as the 2018 Miss America and overcoming challenges.
“My year as Miss America did not turn out as expected. But take each opportunity to achieve and to grow,” said Mund. “Be willing to keep going even when the going gets hard.”
During the conference, young farmers and ranchers competed in the NDFB Discussion Meet. The final four contestants were: Sheridan Visser of Reeder, Chris Holznagel of Sentinel Butte, Billy Ogdahl of Milnor and Rachel Grosz of Mott. Grosz was announced the winner Saturday night and took home a Polaris four-wheeler. She will compete in the AFBF Discussion Meet, January 17-22, 2020 in Austin, Texas.
Watch video highlights from some of the featured speakers at the conference: