After four rounds of competition, Ella McLerran was named the State Collegiate Discussion Meet winner at the Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Summer Conference. McLerran is from Clay County and is an upcoming junior at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville majoring in animal science.
The Collegiate Discussion Meet is designed to simulate a committee meeting consisting of discussion and active participation. This competition is evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic. Participants build basic discussion skills, develop an understanding of agricultural issues and explore how groups can work together to solve an issue. Successful participants are productive thinkers rather than emotional persuaders and assist the group in creating ways to implement the solutions discussed and highlights Farm Bureau’s involvement in those actions.
For this achievement, McLerran receives $1,000 cash from Tennessee Farm Bureau and receives a trip to the 2024 AFBF YF&R Conference to compete nationally.
