My name is Bronya Willmore, and I live on a ranch 20 miles north of Roy, Montana. I grew up in Iowa and went to college at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. I was in Collegiate Young Farmers and Ranchers when I was in college and joined Fergus County Farm Bureau in May of 2022. I have enjoyed being involved in Farm Bureau through the Young Farmers and Ranchers group as one of the District 3 representatives. I also started working for Mountain West Farm Bureau Insurance in July of 2022.

I see a big need in my community and all over Fergus County for strong leaders. I wanted to participate in ACE so that I could be a strong leader and help revitalize my rural community. Upon the completion of ACE, I hope to get more involved in my local Kiwanis Club and help bridge the gap between rural Montanans and those more removed from agriculture. I also hope to help recruit active members for Fergus County Farm Bureau. We can make a huge difference in our little rural communities if we join together for a common goal.

A critical issue I see in agriculture is the lack of community involvement. I feel like a lot of young adults do not prioritize getting involved and helping out in the community because there has always been somebody else to do those things. As the “doers” get older, it is important to have people willing to step in and help out or our rural communities are going to fade away. We live in a society that now encourages you to take more time for yourself and fill your own cup, almost to a fault. The same people end up planning all of the events and they are bound to get burnt out after a few years. We need to instill pride in prioritizing our community or organization and giving back to our communities.

I believe it is important for farmers and ranchers in rural Montana to continually develop their leadership and advocacy skills in order to share the story of agriculture and to also get the next generation involved so we can keep our rural communities alive.