American Farm Bureau Federation® is excited to offer a fellowship program for MANRRS collegiate members to attend its national leadership conference.

Join us in Denver, CO, March 7-10, 2025, for FUSION Conference!

Benefits: 

• Gain skills and knowledge to apply in your chapter and career
• Network with young farmers, ranchers and agriculturalists from across the country
• Learn from industry leaders about emerging issues in production agriculture and tour local farms
• Receive expense-paid conference registration, flight and hotel room and $200 travel stipend
• Participate in Fellowship-related special activities before and during the conference
• Gain recognition as a 2025 Farm Bureau MANRRS Fellow
• Receive a one-year Farm Bureau membership in your home county 

Eligibility: 

• Active MANRRS collegiate student member
• Minimum GPA of 2.8
• Must be able to participate fully in the events listed under the timeline
• Current and former members of the American Farm Bureau Federation committees and staff of Farm Bureau and/or affiliated companies are not eligible to apply
• Previous Farm Bureau Fellows are not eligible to reapply 

Timeline: 

• November 14, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST: Application Deadline
• December 12, 2024: Fellows Class Announced
• January 4, 2025: Fellows Orientation 
• January-February, 2025: Mentorship Meetings with Former Fellows
• March 7-11, 2025: FUSION Conference in Denver, CO (includes travel days)
• March 10, 2025: Conference Review Form Due
• April 6, 2025: Program Ends (at MANRRS39 Conference) 

FUSION Conference Information: 

American Farm Bureau’s 2025 FUSION Conference will bring together 1,100 members from across the country who are active in three main Farm Bureau program areas: Young Farmers & Ranchers, Women’s Leadership, and Promotion & Education. Those who attend are farmers and ranchers involved in various types of production agriculture and representatives of diverse agribusinesses from across the country. The conference will be a learning opportunity for leaders to increase their knowledge and skills in the areas of leadership development, agriculture issues, professional and personal growth and building a network. You’ll leave the conference with new friends, new ideas and new energy for your chapter. To get an idea about the conference content, scan the QR code below. You’ll find the application for the fellowship as well as a link to the program for the 2023 FUSION Conference. 2025 FUSION Conference content offerings will be similar, but not the same as, the 2023 event. 

The American Farm Bureau Federation® (AFBF) is recruiting ambassadors to showcase the energy and excitement of the 2025 Farm Bureau FUSION Conference occurring March 7-10, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.

About the Program: 

• A team of Collegiate Farm Bureau members design and implement a promotional plan highlighting the conference experience for various audiences, including the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers, Women’s Leadership and Promotion & Education social media accounts. 
• Ambassadors are vital to inspire grassroots agricultural communities across the country to engage as Farm Bureau members and leaders to create a stronger and more sustainable future for agriculture.

Program Benefits:

• Media event coverage experience.
• Real-life application of college course content, including concrete skill development.
• Receive expense-paid conference registration, flight and hotel room and $200 travel stipend.

Eligibility:

• Active undergraduate Farm Bureau member in a state with a recognized YF&R program. 
• Minimum GPA of 2.8
• Applicant must be at least a sophomore at the time of the conference. 
• Current employees or agents of county, state and/or American Farm Bureau organizations and their affiliates are not eligible to compete.
• Previous AFBF Social Media Ambassadors are not eligible to reapply. 
• Proficient in constructing engaging photo and video social media content.
• Ability to take, pull and edit photos, and edit engaging videos, a plus.
• Agriculture, Communications, Journalism or related major preferred.

Duties include:

• Attend an orientation, training and planning meeting in early January 2025 (virtual). 
• Develop and execute a social media plan for conference promotion utilizing (but not limited to) Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram, and/or video.
• Coordinate live X (Twitter) feed of conference sessions using Tweetdeck.
• Organize live Story content for competitions, key events and entertainment.
• Collaborate with other ambassadors and AFBF committees to curate cohesive media presence.
• Edit video footage to create conference recap, Reels and promotional videos.
• Monitor conference hashtag to compile promotional content.
• Compile performance data for each platform following conference for effective reporting. 
• Complete a brief review of ambassador experience to help AFBF make improvements. 

Timeline:

• November 14, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST: Application Deadline
• December 19, 2024: Social Media Ambassadors Announced
• Early January 2025: Social Media Ambassador Orientation 
• January-February 2025: Mentorship Meetings with Former Ambassadors
• March 6-11, 2025: FUSION Conference in Denver, CO (includes on-site orientation and travel days)
• March 10, 2025: Conference Review Form Due

Volunteer Description: Farm Bureau FFA Convention Ambassador

The National FFA Convention & Expo is a valuable and enriching experience for thousands of FFA members, advisors and supporters every year. While in Indianapolis, attendees from around the country will learn about careers in agriculture, compete for scholarships and awards, build relationships with industry leaders (like Farm Bureau), complete service projects and learn skills they can implement in their communities. 

Promoting Farm Bureau involvement among young leaders at the National FFA Convention is an essential element of recruitment for the organization and the future of agriculture. Doing so through the AFBF booth requires a team effort that goes beyond AFBF staff. Engaging Collegiate Farm Bureau members to help staff the AFBF booth enhances the effectiveness of promoting Farm Bureau involvement to this audience.

Objective:

• Provide American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (AFBFA) staff support at their combined expo booth during the National FFA Convention.
• Provide a unique opportunity for Collegiate Farm Bureau members to interact and connect with FFA members from across the country. 

Responsibilities:

• Provide information about Farm Bureau to FFA advisors, members and guests, including sharing about your experiences in Collegiate Farm Bureau. 
• Ensure the booth is organized and staffed during assigned 2 to 3-hour volunteer timeslot.

Expectations:

• Prior to convention, review the booth overview and ask questions regarding the documents, if needed.
• Arrive to the booth on time and stay until responsibilities are transitioned to the next scheduled individual. 
• Provide a positive experience to all individuals who engage in the Farm Bureau booth.
• Wear provided Farm Bureau branded shirts and/or chapter shirts while staffing the booth.
• Be flexible while at the booth and be willing to help out where needed.
• Keep personal conversation and technology use to a minimum to ensure quality engagement with members.

For your time, Farm Bureau will:

• Cover convention registration which comes with a name badge to allow you access to the expo floor.
• Provide one Farm Bureau branded shirt.
• Provide a $50 gift card to cover any incidental costs (i.e., miles, parking, lunch, coffee, etc.) while assisting with the booth. 
• Each chapter that provides an ambassador to work a shift will receive a $100 grant to be used for chapter development, growth and/or recruitment (up to $500 total per chapter). All grants will be distributed through direct deposit or ACH to the respective state Farm Bureau to then be issued to the Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter.

How to Apply: 

• Complete the availability and shirt sizing form through this Submittable site. 
• Application Deadline: 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST on Monday, October 7, 2024