YF&R Competitions and Sponsors

The Discussion Meet is a contest promoted by the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. This contest is designed to simulate a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each committee member.

The contest itself involves a moderator and from four to six contestants. The moderator's responsibility is to introduce the topic and the contestants, start the discussion and keep it on track. The contestants discuss a pre-selected topic.

The three fundamental bases of general discussion are constructive criticism, cooperation, and communication. With this in mind, the participants' responsibility is to exchange ideas and information in an effort to solve a problem. The discussion should not be "conversation" or aimless talk nor should the participant take the role of a persuasive speaker. The participant should attempt to cooperatively shed further light on the problem and tentatively retain a flexible position. A successful participant is a productive thinker rather than an emotional persuader, who is free to state beliefs and change positions whenever new information and ideas make that a reasonable thing to do.

Finally, this is not a panel symposium wherein each participant, in turn, makes a presentation, with the moderator ending the session with a summary. Rather, it is an exercise in cooperative problem solving, with the questions, answers, and statements coming from any quarter at any time.

*DO NOT FILL APPLICATION ONLINE. ONLY FILL OUT A FORM THAT HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED AND SAVED TO YOUR COMPUTER.

The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer & Rancher program invites high school students across the state to participate in its annual High School Speech Contest. This competition challenges students to research, write, and deliver a 6–8-minute speech on an agricultural issue of their choice, followed by a Q&A session with a panel of judges. Topics should be informative, thought-provoking, and relevant to today’s agricultural landscape, including current issues, trends, or Farm Bureau policies. The contest is open to all Idaho high school students, regardless of affiliation with FFA, 4-H, or other ag programs. Students must first compete at the county level to qualify for district contests, with county and district dates to be announced soon. Winners from each district will advance to the state competition, which will be held February 10–11, 2026, in Boise, Idaho. Participants will be evaluated based on a detailed rubric that considers content, delivery, organization, and responses to judge questions. Manuscripts must be submitted in APA format two weeks prior to the state event. This is an excellent opportunity for students to sharpen their public speaking skills while exploring real-world agricultural topics.

*The state competition will be held February 10-11, 2026. Rubric and county/district dates will be posted soon.