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Matthew McClanahan recently won the Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers State Discussion Meet. McClanahan says it’s an honor to win the state competition and is now preparing for the national competition in January.
Thomas Capps
State Discussion Meet winner prepares for Utah. Hello and welcome to Tennessee Home and Farm Radio. I’m Thomas Capps.
Matthew McClanahan
It’s such an honor and a privilege to be able to represent the state of Tennessee in Salt Lake City and I think back on my years of prior experiences and it really makes you appreciate this victory so much more.
Thomas Capps
Cumberland County native Matthew McClanahan is the 2023 Tennessee young farmers and ranchers state discussion meet winner. He finished first in the state competition earlier this month and is now preparing to compete on the national level at the American Farm Bureau Convention in January.
Matthew McClanahan
We’ve had a lot of success in the past and got big shoes to fill, and I look forward to carrying on Tennessee’s tradition of excellence and all the competitions and doing my part in the discussion meet. Hunter grills has been very helpful to me through this process and all the past winners and everyone has been so encouraging and I really look forward to leaning into their wisdom and knowledge and understanding and hopefully able to bring home some hardware for Tennessee.
Thomas Capps
McClanahan is a practicing attorney and serves as the Executive Director for the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts. He says talking about the Ag issues and discussion meet competitions over the years has been critical in his professional development.
Matthew McClanahan
Being able to participate in the discussion meet and take that training and utilize that in our county board meetings. It has been crucial and something that I really am appreciative of that Farm Bureau is able to have programs like this.
Thomas Capps
Discussing ag issues is important to McClanahan not just as a lawyer, but also because production agriculture is also a big part of his life.
Matthew McClanahan
My wife and I we live in the house that my grandparents purchased right after the second world war on a beef cattle farm in Cumberland County, Tennessee where we still raise Herford beef cattle same way we’ve been doing since the 1940s. Really the best thing is just the people I’ve been able to meet and the contacts and the friendships I’ve been able to develop over the years. So it’s a wonderful culmination of my young farmer and rancher career.
Thomas Capps
McClanahan competes on the national stage in January in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the AFBF convention. For Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I’m Thomas Capps.
