Kentucky Collegiate Farm Bureau Members Learn about Policy Development
Sydney Garrett
Communications Assistant
Murray State University Collegiate Farm Bureau encourages member collaboration and political literacy by facilitating an overnight trip to Kentucky's capital.
photo credit: Murray Collegiate Farm Bureau, used with permission
When the Murray State University Collegiate Farm Bureau planned an overnight trip to visit Kentucky’s capital in spring 2023, they set three goals for the event:
- Foster relationships amongst all four Kentucky Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters.
- Educate Collegiate Farm Bureau members and elected officials about current agriculture topics and issues.
- Build relationships between Collegiate Farm Bureau members and elected officials.
The trip allowed students to visit Kentucky’s Department of Agriculture and hear from both the state House of Representatives and Senate Agriculture Committee chairs. Students met with Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman and Senior Advisor to the Governor Rocky Adkins, and watched the House of Representatives gavel into session.
“Not only was the legislative day impactful for our collegiate chapter, but we were able to share this experience with other Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters from across the state,” said Murray State University Collegiate Farm Bureau President Jessie Lewis. “As collegiate members, we have a strong united voice and must be present in front of our legislators so that when they have agriculture-related issues come across the table, they are comfortable reaching out to us.”
Having reached their goals, Murray State University Collegiate Farm Bureau looks forward to making this an annual event as they continue to strength relationships among Kentucky’s Collegiate Farm Bureau organizations and the state’s legislative officials.
To help fund the project, the Collegiate Farm Bureau applied for a mini-grant coordinated by the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program. The grant awards $500 to Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters to aid in chapter recruitment, leadership development, community service outreach, officer development, purchase of educational materials and/or registration costs for conferences.
photo credit: Murray Collegiate Farm Bureau, used with permission
The trip allowed students to visit Kentucky’s Department of Agriculture and hear from both the state House of Representatives and Senate Agriculture Committee chairs.
Collegiate Farm Bureau Mini-Grant Program
The 2023-2024 AFBF Collegiate Farm Bureau Mini-Grant program is open for applications through Sept. 21. For more information about the program, including how to apply, visit fb.org/cfbgrants or email yfr@fb.org.
Since the program’s launch in fall 2017, AFBF has awarded over 60 mini-grants.
Collegiate Farm Bureau
There are over 120 Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters across the U.S., focused on empowering students to be united voices for agriculture, while building skills in leadership and communications, facilitating networking opportunities and offering scholarships.
Sydney Garrett is the communications assistant for the American Farm Bureau Federation.
