The 43rd Annual Tennessee Young Farmer of the Year Achievement Awards Program will be conducted again this year by the Tennessee Farm Bureau and the Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers on July 20-21, 2012.
Click here for a general information sheet, which includes the rules for the Young Farmer Contest. For the 2012 State Application and Entry Form with scorecard as a Word document, click here. For the 2012 State Application and Entry Form with scorecard as a PDF document, click here. All applications must be typed and must be postmarked no later than May 15, 2012. This date is necessary in order for the Department of Communications to schedule farm visits and take pictures. To assist our communications staff in taking pictures and videoing county winners, please fill out the directions to your farm form and mail back with state application. Picture taking and videoing of the county winner’s farm is not part of the judging process. It is strictly voluntary. All applications must be signed by the county Farm Bureau President.
Your county winner must complete the fourteen (14) page state application to be eligible for state competition. All county winners are expected to attend the Young Farmers Conference. Each county contestant will receive $200 cash from TFBF. Your application must be in the TFBF Office or postmarked by May 15th in order to receive the $200 cash award. To receive any county, district or state awards, county winners must be present at the Young Farmer Conference. Each county may send additional couples (or singles) to this conference. More details on the Young Farmers Conference will be sent at a later date.
The top two young farmers from each district will be announced at the Young Farmers Conference on Saturday morning, July 21. There will be a ten-minute interview for each of the ten finalists on Saturday morning, July 21. The interview will be for clarification of your total application.
The ten state finalists will each receive $300 cash from TFBF. Each district winner will receive up to $500 in qualified Farm Bureau Services. The second place state winner and their spouse will receive up to $500 in qualified Farm Bureau Services, $1,000 cash from TFBF, a trip to the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention, and trips to all TN YF&R Conferences. The state winner will receive a years’ use up to 150 hours of a Case IH Tractor, $1,000 from TFBF, RTV loaded to keep from TFBF, $500 in qualified Farm Bureau Services, and insurance on the Case IH Tractor for one-year provided by Tennessee Farmers Insurance.
In addition, the state winner and their spouse will also receive a trip to the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee on January 12-16, 2013 to compete with other state winners for national awards from Chevrolet/GMC, Case IH, and Stihl. The national winner will receive a choice of either a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado or a 2013 GMC Sierra to keep and paid registration to the 2013 AFBF Leadership Conference. Each of the three runners-up will receive a Case IH Farmall 65A Tractor to keep, $5,000 savings bond, and a Stihl Farm Boss.
The Young Farmer Awards Program is the key factor in the success of our Young Farmers Conference. Of course, the success of both programs depends entirely on the participation ofcounty Farm Bureaus. We strongly urge all 95 counties to participate in this conference.
We encourage every county to participate this year. If you have any questions, please contact Charles Curtis or your Regional Field Service Director. There are young farmers in each county and it is our duty to get them involved in Young Farmers and Farm Bureau.