2024 Farming for the Future Award Application

2024 WFBF Young Farmer and Agriculturist Farming for the Future Award Rules

Background

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) annually conducts a Young Farmer and Agriculturist (YFA) competition. Selection of the winning YFA competitor is based on his/her efforts in production agriculture and leadership achievement. The ideal candidate(s) for the Farming for the Future Award is an individual or couple involved in production agriculture with a majority of his/her income subject to normal production risks.

It is recommended that county Farm Bureaus provide, as part of the county recognition award, an expenses-paid trip to the WFBF Annual Meeting and YFA Conference, December 6-8, 2024 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Appropriate recognition will be given to all state competitors in attendance at the WFBF Annual Meeting and YFA Conference. The WFBF YFA Committee and the WFBF Director of Young Leader Programs will coordinate the program at the state level.

Information about the Farming for the Future Award applicant is requested on the entry form. ALL INFORMATION IS HANDLED IN STRICT CONFIDENCE AND IS DESTROYED AFTER JUDGING IS COMPLETED.

 

Eligibility

  • An applicant can be either an individual or a couple that is married or has similar legal rights under the law applicable in Wisconsin. Applicant may choose to apply individually, rather than as a couple.
  • Applicant(s) shall be a Farm Bureau member(s) between the ages of 18 and 35 in good standing with his/her county Farm Bureau. The individual or spouse/spousal-equivalent shall have reached his/her 18th birthday at the time he/she qualifies for the national competition and shall not have reached his/her 36th birthday by December 31, 2024.
  • If applying as a couple, both applicants must meet the age requirements.
  • Applicant(s) must be actively engaged in farming, with the majority of his/her income coming from production agriculture.
  • Past state YFA Achievement Award winners, Farming for the Future Award and/or previous AFBF Achievement Award competitors are not eligible to compete.
  • Current employees or agents of county, state and/or the American Farm Bureau organizations and their affiliates are not eligible to compete. An affiliate is defined as an entity owned or controlled in whole or in part by another entity through, for example, ownership (including partial ownership) or positions on the board of directors.
  • Current WFBF YFA Committee members are not eligible to compete unless they have reached their last year of eligibility.
 

Entry Form and Application Guidelines

  • Do not use your name, name of your county or any names that may bring about the recognition or identification of your county beyond the signature page.
  • The entry form and application must be completed in first person narrative (i.e. I, me, we, etc.) for questions 1-7. Applicants must use “A1” and “A2” to denote each applicant for questions 8-10.
  • Do not use abbreviations or acronyms, unless it has been spelled out once with the abbreviation in parentheses behind it. For example, United States Department of Education (USDE). AFBF, FB, YFA and YF&R are acceptable to use throughout the application.
  • It will be up to the judges’ discretion to deduct points if applicants include activities before they were 18.
  • Only the named applicant(s) on the application are permitted into the interview.

Note: Disregarding any of the guidelines listed above will result in disqualification.

 

Application Scoring

  • Information contained in the entry form and application is considered confidential.
  • The entry form and application of each county entry will be coded upon receipt by WFBF. The applicant’s name and county will not be revealed to the judges until judging is completed.
  • Values used in scoring the applications will be:

Farm Operation & Growth: 100 points

Goals: 50 points 

Agriculture Issues: 50 points                                                          

Farm Bureau Leadership Experience: 25 points                                       

Other Leadership Experience: 25 points

                                                                                                   

MAXIMUM POINTS: 250

  • The application will be judged by a panel of three qualified industry judges. Each judge may award a maximum of 250 points. 
  • The Final Four contestants are chosen based on this system. The final four contestants will be interviewed on Saturday, December 7 at the WFBF Annual Meeting and YFA Conference.

 

Deadline

Online applications are due no later than 4:00pm on June 1, 2024 to be considered for state recognition and awards. The signed signature page must be received by WFBF no later than July 1, 2024.

 

Final Four

The Final Four contestants will be selected by July 15, 2024.  

  • Interviews will be held during the WFBF Annual Meeting & YFA Conference on Saturday, December 7.
  • Interviews may be up to 20 minutes in length and are intended to clear up any ‘gray areas’ which may arise from the written application.
  • Judging is based on the application forms sent to WFBF and the clarifying interview held during the WFBF Annual Meeting & YFA Conference.
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