San Antonio—Young farmers and ranchers play an essential role in production agriculture and also in Farm Bureau. Nick Courville, a young rancher from Charlo, had won the Discussion Meet in Montana which earned him a spot in the national Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet held during the 106th American Farm Bureau Convention. The American Farm Bureau Federation YF&R Discussion Meet competitive event simulates a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each participant. This competition is evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic.

Questions during the Discussion Meet covered a range of topics from Farm Bureau organizational succession planning to how young farmers and ranchers can diversify to keep their agricultural operations viable.

Courville, who serves as chair of the MFBF Young Farmer & Rancher Committee, found the information gleaned during the discussion to be beneficial to take back to Montana.

“One useful idea surfaced during one of the discussions was how to keep people active in Farm Bureau once they age out of young farmers and ranchers,” said Courville. “Our organization loses members in their 40s who are busy raising kids, and then in their 50s when they believe they are too busy to be involved because they’re running a farm or ranch. One state Farm Bureau has developed a program to bridge the gap to keep those ages involved.”

The young rancher especially enjoyed the networking opportunities to meet other participants in the three AFBF competitive events: Discussion Meet, Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture.

“I met a couple from Louisiana who run the same number of cows I do on half the land. In addition, they put up hay on the same ground that feeds their cows in the winter. I shared that we run our cows on twice the land they have, buy hay and feed all winter,” Courville said. “They were especially curious about winter grazing. Attending the American Farm Bureau Convention allowed me to come away with new ideas, interact with Farm Bureau members from across the country and get to spend time with our Montana Farm Bureau delegation.”

The American Farm Bureau Convention runs January 24-29, 2025, in San Antonio.