Oklahoma Farm Bureau Hosts OYLA
Summer has arrived and 24 seniors from across Oklahoma started their break by participating in the Oklahoma Youth Leading Agriculture Conference (OYLA). For the last thirteen years, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers hosts a handful of Oklahoma’s top agriculture students during the multi-day conference. The conference is designed to expand the horizons of top agriculture students through hands-on activities, agriculture-related tours, leadership development projects and engaging speakers from across the agriculture spectrum.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s goal is to help enhance students’ leadership skills, show them different parts of the industry of agriculture, and create a team of students who will be the voice of Agriculture in their own towns and communities. Holly Carroll, director of membership and OKFB Foundation for Agriculture, says, “We want to equip this group to go out and share their story and the story of where the food comes from.” They are equipping student leaders to be advocates for agriculture by continuing to build teams of students each year who feel confident to go out and share their voice. “By doing this, we can make a greater impact on a local level”, says Carroll.
Paxton Brown was one of the students chosen to attend OYLA this year. He learned how different people’s backgrounds can be across Oklahoma. During his time at the conference, he was able to spend time with students who are directly connected to agriculture. He said, “It showed me just how diverse the agriculture industry truly is.”
Cierra Collins of Frederick FFA has a plan to put this goal into action and make an impact in her community. During the workshop sessions, they received a lot of advice on how to support our communities through our FFA chapters. Collins says, “When Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom came and showed us the material they use to educate children about agriculture, I was inspired to teach it to upper and lower elementary school students in Frederick. I plan to work with my FFA chapter to visit these schools multiple times a year to increase ag literacy in the children of our community. I believe that this will set the foundation for a community that understands and appreciates the agriculture industry.” She is truly embracing the goals set forth by OKFB.
Jolie Marshall, Harrah FFA, reflected on her experience at OYLA by saying, I learned how to be a team and how to appreciate each teammate and their strengths. Once you learn how to utilize each other and their talents, it makes working together much more enjoyable and feels less like work.” Brown echoed, “I also enjoyed the team-building activities at the zip line course because they helped everyone work together and get to know each other better.”
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hopes to create an opportunity for these students to get plugged into their local communities and engage with elected officials. Carroll says, “While posting on socials and creating videos is important, it is also important to have a confident leader who can go to the Capitol and be an educated constituent on behalf of agriculture.” Students who complete OYLA may go on to be farmers, scientists, ag teachers, attorneys, vets, etc. One goal of this program is to create a network of leaders they can rely on later to call on mentors and friends who will help be a voice for Oklahoma Agriculture.
Throughout the conference, they challenged students with personality tests, a ropes course, and team building. Then a showcase of some of the ag jobs/careers through a local farmers market, the stockyards and the OKC zoo with alumni. OKFB highlighted Ag in the Classroom, and students were able to learn hands-on lessons to take back to the classrooms at their local schools. On the last day, they capped everything off by visiting the Capitol, discussing the policy from the session and how to write bills/be involved in Capitol Camp.
Collins noted that throughout the week, they participated in so many activities, but her favorite was the escape room. She said, “I had an amazing team and absolutely loved working with them! It tested our ability to work together, stay calm and patient, and think outside the box. We all were so excited when we made it out with only five seconds left!”
These student leaders will no doubt take what they have learned and make an impact in their own communities across the state. Brown knew that people in agriculture were diverse, but seeing that diversity firsthand was an eye-opening experience for him. He said, “It gave me a greater appreciation for the different backgrounds and perspectives that make FFA so strong.”
Carroll says, “When we started this years ago, I never imagined it would turn into this legacy of leaders. But that is truly what we have built. We have developed a program that highlights some amazing students and alumni who continue to give back and support the next generation. No one has ever told us no when we wanted to come visit. No one has ever turned down the opportunity to come talk to our students. In agriculture, we know that education is the key to a bright future for our industry, and this has been a way to engage people at all levels and ages.”
Carroll wants students to say, ‘we left better prepared to advocate for agriculture than when we arrived AND I know Oklahoma Farm Bureau has given me a state wide support system to make anything possible.’
