Ella McLerran is the 2023 Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers Collegiate Discussion Meet winner. McLerran says winning this competition is something she's always dreamed of.
Thomas Capps
UT Knoxville Jr wins Young Farmers Collegiate Discussion Meet. Hello and welcome to Tennessee Home and Farm Radio. I'm Thomas Capps.
Ella McLerran
Getting to go up there and see all the all the hard work pay off and just come true it was, it was just a great feeling.
Thomas Capps
Clay County native Ella McLerran is the 2023 Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers collegiate discussion meet winner. The competition has four rounds that ends with four contestants competing in the final round each round as a topic or issue disguised by the contestants as they work to determine a solution to the topic.
Ella McLerran
The big topic today was diversity across our state. So our producers and our products, and ultimately how Farm Bureau can help cultivate dynamic leaders. So I really just wanted to point out that our state has 69,500 Farms, I mean, all of those are very different from the people that make them up to the practices they follow to the products they produce, and I think that's crucial. When we look at how we can grow leaders through Farm Bureau is we got to look at what makes up our membership, and a way to support them through our grassroots organization.
Thomas Capps
McLerran isn't new to Young Farmers & Ranchers or even discussion meet. Her parents participated in it too, when they were young farmers
Ella McLerran
Growing up in YF&R, seeing the contests, watching my parents do it, and now I guess doing it myself. And it didn't seem real. I didn't think I was like, Oh, wow, like that was my name.
Thomas Capps
Currently, McLerran is pursuing a degree in animal science with the hopes of continuing on in her education after that all to help benefit agriculture.
Ella McLerran
I want to go into law school and hopefully come back to agriculture with that legal perspective working with policy and the legal side of things because we need that representation in agriculture. This contest is a great practice for everything I want to do looking forward with that career so very excited and very excited to represent Tennessee Farm Bureau in March.
Thomas Capps
All eyes will be on McLerran in March as she competes in the National Young Farmers and Ranchers collegiate discussion meeting, which takes place in Omaha, Nebraska. For Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I'm Thomas Capps.
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