YF&R Collegiate Discussion Winner is Tennessee Student

The winner of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Collegiate Discussion Meet is Callie Robinson of Tennessee. She was awarded the top prize following a discussion on how young farmers and ranchers can diversify their farm and ranch businesses to increase revenue.

Robinson is a junior studying agricultural communications at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She will receive her degree in May 2026.

The Collegiate Discussion Meet is designed to replicate a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each collegiate participant. Participants are judged on their ability to exchange ideas and information on an agricultural topic and find answers or solutions related to it.

Robinson qualified for the national competition upon winning the Tennessee Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet. As the national winner, she received a total of $3,100 in scholarship funds from competitive event sponsor CHS Foundation.

In addition to Robinson, three finalists participated in three rounds of discussion before making it to the Final Four round: Lilly Pryor, Indiana; Ashlee Purvine, Oklahoma; and Morgan Simpson, North Carolina. They each received a total of $2,100 in scholarship funds courtesy of CHS Foundation.

Thirty-five competitors participated in this year’s Collegiate Discussion Meet. All competitors (including the four finalists) received a $100 scholarship courtesy of CHS Foundation in recognition of their efforts and making it to the national level; students advancing to the “Sweet 16” round (including the four finalists) received an additional $500 scholarship. CHS provided a total of $18,500 in scholarship funds for the competition.

AFBF’s YF&R program engages young Farm Bureau members between the ages of 18-35 by offering opportunities to develop as strong, effective leaders for service in both Farm Bureau and their communities.

The Collegiate Discussion Meet was held during AFBF’s FUSION Conference, March 7-10 in Denver.