• YAP Discussion Meet Application

  • Overview

    The Ohio Farm Bureau Young Ag Professionals (YAP) Discussion Meet is a competitive event that simulates a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each participant. This competition is evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic.

    Eligibility

    • Applicant shall be a Farm Bureau member between the ages of 18 and 35 in good standing with his/her county Farm Bureau. The individual shall have reached his/her 18th birthday at the time he/she qualifies for the state competition and shall not have reached his/her 36th birthday by the completion of the national competition. Competitors qualify at the time the state application is submitted and the completion of the national competition is the day awards are given out (Monday, January 12, 2026).
    • Applicant must be actively engaged in agriculture.
    • Applicant may only compete in one national YF&R competition per year.
    • Past and present members of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee and/or their spouse are not eligible to compete.
    • Previous AFBF Discussion Meet competitors are not eligible to compete. Current employees or agents of county, state and/or the American Farm Bureau organizations and their affiliates are not eligible to compete. An affiliate is defined as an entity owned or controlled in whole or in part by another entity through, for example, ownership (including partial ownership) or positions on the board of directors.
    • Professional speakers are not eligible to compete. Professional speakers are those who have received a fee, royalty or honorarium for speaking (i.e., paid speaking appearances or speaking engagements) within 24 months prior to this annual competition. This excludes reimbursement for travel or expenses attendant to the appearance.

  • Mock Media Interview - Nov. 7, 2023

    Each competitor will be paired with an interviewer from Ag Media to conduct a virtual interview around one predetermined topic. The interviewer will ask each competitor a series of questions as if this were a formal media interview. Competitors will be evaluated on their delivery, critical thinking, Farm Bureau engagement and overall context of their interview. In this round the competitors will have 8 minutes to conduct the interview. The top eight scoring media interviewees will be invited to participate in the Semi-Final round of the Discussion Meet competition. Media Interviews will be held remotely through a video conference call on November 7th.

  • Competition Timeline

    During each round of competition, competitors will discuss pre-selected topics using four bases for the general discussion: cooperation, constructive criticism, problem-solving, and communication.


    Semi-Finals (2 Rounds) - December 12, 2024

    All applicants will be invited to participate in the Discussion Meet Semi-Finals to be held at the Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Columbus, OH at 9 am on December 12, 2024. The semi-finals consist of 2 rounds of competition. Each round will consist of a 30-second opening statement, then move to 25 minutes of open discussion, and end with a one-minute closing statement by each participant. Competitors will be randomly assigned to rooms for both semi-final rounds. The four competitors with the highest combined scores will move forward to the Final Four round of competition.

     

    Final Four - February 7, 2025

    The four competitors with the highest overall score from the semi-finals will advance to the Final Four round of competition to be held at the Winter Leadership Experience in Sandusky, OH on February 7, 2025. This round will include a 30-second opening statement, a 25-minute open discussion, and a 1-minute closing statement. The individual with the highest score will be named the state winner and will move on to the Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) competition to be held in Anaheim, CA during the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention January 9-13, 2026. 

  • Competition Resources

    Below are competitor specific resources both to provide more context of what to expect and to aid in your preparation. 

    The 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Discussion Meet Competitor Guide provides a wealth of knowledge of why the discussion meet exists, an overview of how each discussion meet round will look, and competitor best practices. NOTE: While the Ohio Farm Bureau YAP Discussion Meet does align in many ways with the AFBF contest, there are a few minor differences. Most notable, the specific topic for each round of competition is shared well in advance for the state contest and there are fewer rounds of competition at the state level (outlined above in the competition timeline).

    • 2025 Discussion Meet Questions
    • Sample Discussion Meet Rubric
    • 2024 AFBF Discussion Meet Competitor Guide

     

     

  • Prizes

    The final four receive an award package valued at over $1,000. The overall award winner receives an award package valued at over $10,000.

    Award Winner

    • Expense-paid trip to the Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and Kick-Off Luncheon in December (Four Guest Tickets included)
    • Expense-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention as the national competitor, January 9-13, 2026 in Anaheim, California
    • Media package
    • $3,000 cash prize of choice

    Final Four

    • Expense-paid trip to the Winter Leadership Experience February 7-8, 2025 
    • Embroidered Ohio Farm Bureau Soft Shell Jacket
    • $100 Cash Award

    Semi-Finalists

    • $50 Cash Award

     

    Applications Due: September 30, 2024 by 5 pm

    Questions? Contact yap@ofbf.org

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  • If you advance to the Final Four round of competition, part of your award package would include an embroidered Ohio Farm Bureau soft shell jacket. Please reference the links below to view the jacket and respective size guides to determine your preferred jacket size. 

     

    Men’s Jacket |  Men’s Size Guide


    Women’s Jacket |  Women’s Size Guide

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