L to R: Madison Cogle ’23 – 1st place, Ryan Gobble ’24 – finalist, and Laurynn Hackett ’23 – finalist.
11/17/2021
Ferrum College students commanded quite the presence when they took three of the top four places during the 14th Annual Collegiate Young Farmers Discussion Meet held on November 5 in Lynchburg, VA.
Ferrum College junior Madison Cogle ’23, from Lewis County, WV, won first place, which entitled her to a $500 scholarship from Southern Farm Life Insurance Company and Virginia Farm Bureau Federation (VFBF) Young Farmers. She will receive a trip to watch the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet at their annual convention in Atlanta, GA, in January 2022. She will also receive a travel package to attend February’s AFBF Young Farmers Collegiate Discussion Meet in Louisville, KY.
Cogle is majoring in agriculture science with emphases in equine studies and animal science. She stated that “the end goal is vet school.” Cogle is also Ferrum’s first-ever Beckham Presidential Scholarship recipient.
Ferrum College junior Lauren Hackett ’23 and sophomore Ryan Gobble ’24 were also named finalists. Gobble and Hackett each received $150 from VFBF. Hackett is majoring in agriculture with an emphasis in animal science, and Gobble is a secondary education major with an emphasis in agriculture education.
All three Ferrum College students are members of the Boone Honors Program, and officers in the Ag Club (Hackett is president, Gobble is vice president, and Cogle is secretary). Cogle is also a member of Franklin County Young Farmers.
“I was very surprised and not at all expecting to win, but I was going for the experience and the opportunity to connect and communicate with other students in agriculture- winning was just the cherry on top,” said Cogle. “I loved talking with so many other students that had very different perspectives within the field of agriculture. I also greatly appreciate the scholarship, and I am looking forward to the travel opportunities and the possibilities to connect with other young agriculturalists.”
This year’s meeting, which was sponsored by VFBF, included four topics: COVID-19 challenges, preventive approaches to farm safety, renewable agricultural practices, and how to best enhance Farm Bureau Young Farmers Program participation. The competitors were judged on discussion skills, understanding of the agricultural issues, and ability to build consensus.
Learn more about Ferrum’s ag science program here.
Learn more about the Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmers here.
