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Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies

Young Farmer Leaders Conference

Farmer in Field on Ipad

Learn, network and have fun with the future of agriculture

February 24–26, 2023 | Lansing Center

This two-and-a-half-day conference offers 18- to 35-year-old Young Farmers the opportunity to meet with hundreds of young agriculture leaders and industry experts while building confidence to advocate for the industry and to step into leadership roles and positions.

The Young Farmer Leaders Conference is your opportunity to learn about business, financial, technology and agricultural issues facing the industry.

Registration open January 3-16, 2023

Full Registration Includes:

  • Optional Friday afternoon bus tours (includes offsite reception, heavy appetizers). Tour slots available on a first come, first serve basis
  • Overnight accommodations for Friday and Saturday evenings, based on double occupancy
  • Meals: Saturday breakfast through Sunday breakfast, both meals and snacks
  • Workshops, breakouts, and general sessions
  • Conference t-shirt
  • Parking

Tour Information and Child Policy:

Due to liability and facility limitations, personal vehicles are not permitted to follow tour buses.

Anyone under 18, including infants and toddlers, is not permitted to attend the optional Friday tours due to liability and facility limitations.

Children up to 2 years old (24 months), are not required to pay for conference registration. Children over 2 must register and will be charged a meal fee. However, conference programming may not be suited for children under 18.

Anyone under 18 cannot fill a core program slot.

CONTACT YOUR COUNTY FARM BUREAU OFFICE TO REGISTER

Keynote Speakers: Jay & Laura Laffoon

This Clown Can't Juggle

Keeping all the plates spinning is challenging!  When juggling family, work, personal well-being, and all the other trials and challenges that life brings, how do you prioritize, manage stress and communicate effectively for the best relationships with family business, family, friends and co-workers, some of whom may be both or all three? With a dose of humor, we’ll explore the benefits of finding balance in your life for a more satisfying work and family life.

Speaker bio:

Jay and Laura Laffoon’s humor, wisdom, and candor have made them highly sought-after speakers for over two decades. Together, they have written 10 books on marriage and family relationships and have worked with clients like Edward Jones, Aflac, and Thrivent Financial. Jay and Laura live in Alma, Michigan.

A middle-aged couple sitting at a round table in a diner, each sipping on a straw placed in the same soft drink cup as they look at the camera.

TOUR OPTIONS

Close up of a farmer's hands as he examines stalks of wheat while standing in a wheat field with a line chart overlay indicating growth.

Michigan’s agricultural industry continues to be a major economic driver in our state’s economy.  A seat at your county’s economic development table ensures agriculture has a voice. See how voices like yours play a part in Gratiot County’s economic development agency, Greater Gratiot Development, Inc. to retain, expand and attract businesses. See how businesses like Breckenridge-based Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Inc. and Agroliquid’s Brownfield Redevelopment project A in Ashley invested in the entire community thanks to ag industry partners pulling up a chair.

GGDI is recognized for participating in and initiating collaborative relationships to retain, expand, and attract business and industry and to participate in activities which enhance the economic climate within the Gratiot Community

Four small pigs putting their snouts through the gate of their enclosure and looking at the camera.

Peek behind the curtain of some of Michigan’s most innovative research and tools for animal and plant health. Visit Michigan State University Swine Farm, with a recently renovated sow barn; the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the first line of defense against foreign animal diseases, performing a million tests a year; and the MSU Plant Science Research Greenhouse Facility, serving 75 faculty and researching plant breeding, insect resistance, and plant resilience. Ending with a drive out of South Campus, where you’ll roll by the many farms and fields MSU has to offer.

A cardboard box being loaded with produce, dry goods, and canned food for donation.

Increasing food access and security for our neighbors increases our entire communities’ quality of life. This tour includes a visit to i Lansing’s dynamic hub, Allen Neighborhood Center. From the year-round Hunter Park Garden House to the Incubator Kitchen Program, you will be surrounded by inspiration for your community. Next, experience a real-time production environment at the MSU Extension Food Processing and Innovation Center, created to support vibrant new food products, serving the needs of Michigan-based food businesses and startups. 

Wide shot of the Michigan hall of justice on a clear day in early spring.

Spend some time in the state’s most influential buildings, including the Michigan Hall of Justice and a new 40,000-square-foot underground visitor’s center at the State Capitol. Round out your visit by learning more about lobbying and partner government organizations with the Michigan Farm Bureau’s State Government Relations Department as they present on how you, as a farmer, can help advocate for changes to laws and regulations.

 

An Evening to Impress... or Make an Impression

As tour goers finish up a jam-packed afternoon, the evening is sure to make an impression as you meet up with all four tour groups, enjoy heavy appetizers and interact with the many hands-on exhibits inside Impression 5 Science Center located in downtown Lansing.

 

AGENDA

Printable Agenda

Putt-Putt Pantry: Build for a Good Cause

Love to compete while giving back at the same time? On Saturday, Districts will be banding together to create putt-putt course to not only bring glory to their District, but also feed the food insecure in Lansing. Putt-Putt Pantry — a take on mini golf — consists on building putt-putt holes out of groceries, after which all food will be donated to Lansing-area hunger-relief efforts.

Two districts will be paired per hole. Please bring your non-perishable food items to your District meeting on Saturday morning. Items can be placed — prior to breakfast — in your District's designated area within Exhibit Hall A.

Hole construction can begin after district meetings and prior to Breakout Round One at 10:15 and from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

The holes will be judged and played during evening entertainment on Saturday and awarded prizes for Fan Favorite, Most Challenging, Most Creative, and the Bless Your Heart award. You can also play the holes competitively as an individual or district teams for putt-putt prizes.



Rules:

  • Everyone is allotted the same amount of space
  • Not to exceed 4ft. tall
  • All structures need to be made of or incorporate non-perishable food

 

 

Evening Entertainment

Friday Night

Enjoy the Greater Lansing nightlife like a local. Meet up with old friends and make new ones as you check out live music, taste local craft beer and wine, or catch a game on the big screen in one of the many restaurants and pubs within walking distance of the conference hotel.

Saturday Night: Get Your Game On

Whether you’re in a competitive mood or just want to relax, join us in Exhibit Hall A at the Lansing Center for a fun night of gaming. Enjoy some snacks while tossing a ball in Fowling, challenging friends to Cornhole, playing a quick round of Euchre, or picking up a putter to try your hand at one of the Putt-Putt Pantry holes.

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