The 42nd 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 22-23, 2011.
Click here for a general information sheet, or here for an example score card which includes the rules for the Young Farmer Contest. Click on the appropriate link for the 2011 State Application and Entry Form with scorecard in Word or PDF format. All applications must be typed and must be postmarked no later than May 16, 2011. 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 of each county winner, attach directions to the state application showing how to get to the county winner’s farm. All applications must be signed by the county Farm Bureau President.
Click here for a list of suggestions for those counties who wish to conduct a County Contest. Your county winner must complete the fifteen (15) 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 16th 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.
The top two young farmers from each district will be announced at the Young Farmers Conference on Saturday morning, July 23. There will be a ten-minute interview for each of the ten finalists on Saturday morning, July 23. 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 aCase IH Tractor, $500 from TFBF, $500 from Dodge, 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 Honolulu, Hawaii on January 6-11, 2012 to compete with other state winners for national awards from Dodge and Case IH. The national winner will receive a new 2012 Dodge 3500 Heavy Duty Quad Cab 4×4 SLT Truck to keep. Each of the four runners-up will receive a new Case IH DX Compact Tractor to keep.
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.
For many years, Tennessee Young Farmers have made an excellent showing being at the top of the National Contest. Today the search begins all over for a new winner. We believe Tennessee has the foundation of young farmers to stay at the top and bring back more new Dodge trucks, or Case IH Tractors.