Wintertime in the farm organization biz is kind of hectic. I won’t bore you with the mundane specifics of my travel schedule but suffice to say, I was away from home more than I was home during the month of January. 

There was one particular entry in my  planner though, highlighted in bold letters and underlined. For me, it’s become a “don’t miss” event – the Kansas Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Leaders’ conference in Wichita. 

If you’re a regular reader of these columns, you know I’m no wordsmith, so I won’t try to blow sunshine or go overboard with superlatives, but there’s a reason I look forward to this event each year. 

Despite the many challenges and potential pitfalls facing agriculture and rural life in Kansas, I come away from our YF&R conference more enthusiastic, more energized and more optimistic than when I go in.

During a couple of often blustery Kansas January days, hundreds of young Farm Bureau members travel to Wichita from all over the state to network, socialize and draw strength from each other.

Each year, the conference is packed with great speakers, workshops and panel discussions all hitting on topics and issues of particular concern to young farmers.

I take nothing away from the organizing committee when I say this, but even if the agenda were less than compelling, the gathering would still have merit and meaning, because of the young people in the room.

When you’re around that much talent and promise, it’s easy to lose sight of the hard, cold reality. The age group of our Young Farmers & Ranchers (18 to 35) is the smallest demographic group within Farm Bureau membership. It’s an accurate reflection of who’s farming today. 

They recognize this, they take it seriously and maybe that’s why there’s so much genuine, palpable value when they gather.  They know their numbers are small and they understand what’s at stake.

My generation sees the numbers and wants to jump right into finding ways to “fix it.” Are there some farm policy incentives we can push? What more can we do to assist in sometimes-contentious generational estate planning? These things are important and we’ll continue to do them. 

But their generation sees it a bit differently. Our youngest daughter, who just graduated from K-State and is building her own life and career track, says this a lot: “It is what it is.”  To the untrained eye, that may read like a cop out. It is what it is (and it won’t get better.) After spending time with our YF&R leaders, I’m here to tell you that’s not at all the way they see it.

To them, it is what it is–it is strong and it is theirs. This is a generation of young people who are taking ownership of their lives and their future in a way that makes an old fogey like me get a little misty. Pat calls that “wisdom.” All this time I thought it was just a sign of getting older.

Fewer in number, but more actively engaged. Not just in Farm Bureau but in all aspects of their lives – community, family, school, their government and their planet. 

It is happening today. And as this phenomenon thrives and gets stronger – as these young people grow older – their actual numbers will become increasingly irrelevant.

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