Jasper Cunningham is your 2024 Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Young Farm Discussion Meet champion. An Oceana County Farm Bureau member, Cunningham received top honors during MFB’s State Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids following Sweet 16 and Final Four Discussion Meets on Tuesday.
Madeleine Smeltzer (Wexford), Sarah Hollon (Clare), and Zoey Zupin (Kent) rounded out the final four young farmer contestants.
Cunningham, who is account manager for Bayer, will receive $2,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to San Antonio, Texas, to represent Michigan at the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmer and Rancher Discussion Meet in January sponsored by the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture.
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan sponsored the awards. Other prizes for the Final Four were provided by Grainger, Michigan Farm Bureau Health Services, the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture, and KEY Apparel.
Discussion Meets are competitive, simulated committee meetings in which participants are judged on their ability to explore a problem and find solutions. The final four contestants discussed succession planning and how some younger members may find it challenging to get involved in their county Farm Bureau beyond the Young Farmer committee.
Other Discussion Meet topics included diversifying and modernizing MFB and agricultural land use.
Out of 12 district-level Discussion Meets and 29 preliminary round competitors, 16 young farmers made it to the semifinal competition in the statewide Discussion Meet.
They were:
- Drew Bordner, St. Joseph County
- Logan Crumbaugh, Gratiot
- Jasper Cunningham, Oceana
- Kelsi Dalgord, Hiawathaland
- Erica Drake, Washtenaw
- Amanda Goodfellow, Mecosta
- Sarah Hollon, Clare
- Kate King, Wexford
- Logan Maher, Sanilac
- Lauren Marfio, Mecosta
- Madeleine Smeltzer, Wexford
- Emily Swift, St. Joseph
- Mark Trowbridge, St. Joseph
- Zoey Zupin, Kent
