(BLOOMINGTON) Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders were noted at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference held earlier this month in Oregon, winning recognition for volunteering, donations, and innovation. A total of 35 Young Leaders from around the state, including nine Collegiate Farm Bureau members, were among the 1,000 attendees from across the nation. Illinois won the National Winner in Compassion Award for volunteering a total of 6,967 hours, plus Illinois was the national runner-up in contributions, for the money donated to its overall Harvest for All collections. Illinois Young Leaders donated $163,608 to the AFBF campaign that fights hunger thru food, funding, and volunteer donations. Meanwhile, SIU’s Collegiate Young Leader’s Fill-A-Bucket Challenge, the District 2 Young Leader Hay Drive for Hurricane Helene, and the State Young Leader Committee’s Ag Teacher Competition all combined to earn Illinois the Most Innovative Award for Harvest for All.
