July 20, 2017
Four young agriculturists will advance to the statewide Discussion Meet competition after collectively working together to implement solutions to real life challenges facing agriculture.
Michael Rogalsky of FFA Foundation (Polk County), Kaylee Norris of Highland Precision Agriculture (Polk County), Christian Spinosa of Dudley Putnam, Inc. (Polk County) and UF student Brendan Register (Volusia County) will compete in the final round at the Florida Farm Bureau State Annual Meeting, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Ponte Vedra Beach.
They qualified for the final event at the Florida Farm Bureau preliminary and semi-final Discussion Meet rounds held at the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Leadership Conference in Punta Gorda, July 14-16.
The Discussion Meet is designed to simulate 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. The judges look for contestants who offer constructive criticism, cooperation and communication while analyzing problems and developing solutions.
The winner of the state competition will receive a $500 cash award, an ATV four-wheeler courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty and an expense-paid trip to the 2018 American Farm Bureau Convention in Nashville where the winner will represent Florida in the national Discussion Meet competition, Jan. 5-10.