The capstone session of Leadership KFB in Washington, D.C., was the culmination of our year spent across the state developing our leadership skills and agricultural understanding by learning from producers and other leaders working in and with agriculture. With the Senate Ag Committee vote on the latest draft of the farm bill happening during our time in the city, the Hill was abuzz with folks doing exactly what Leadership KFB aimed to teach us. 

Our first full day in D.C. laid the foundation for conversations surrounding the farm bill and other topics that would eventually be part of the rest of our meetings and visits. Starting our day with a breakfast hosted by American Farm Bureau Federation at the Capitol Hill Club, we heard an update from Sen. Bozeman of Arkansas, who is the current chairman of the Senate Ag Committee. The message was clear — finding a bipartisan resolution was on the minds of nearly everyone. 

Even just a few months ago, being in these rooms would have been overwhelming, but previous sessions of Leadership KFB had effectively prepared us to have conversations like these with high-level stakeholders. 

When speaking with Farm Service Agency, Rural Development, Risk Management Agency, and Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at USDA, we had the opportunity to ask questions. Our group focused on clarifying farm programs’ purposes and eligibility. As we were guiding those conversations, it was abundantly clear our year of learning and growing together as Class XII had prepared us well for these conversations.

Continuing through our capstone session in meetings with commodity leaders in beef, dairy and corn, and speaking with Sens. Marshall and Moran and Reps. Davids and Mann, I watched as my classmates and I continued to gain confidence and become more comfortable discussing relevant issues with our state leaders and agricultural industry representatives. These strides didn’t happen overnight but rather were built piece by piece throughout the nine months of our program. Staff at Kansas Farm Bureau have worked diligently to shape Leadership KFB into a comprehensive program that has true, real-world impact in our communities across the state — and it truly gives you leadership skills important in advocating for agriculture.

When I look back on where I began at the beginning of Leadership KFB, my goal was simply to grow as a leader and become a more impactful asset in my community. What I didn’t expect was to become more confident in asking the big questions, further developing my understanding of agriculture policy and, most importantly, recognizing the importance of taking up space in a room of fellow leaders and finding that is where personal growth happens.

As I reflect on each of our sessions, it put together pieces of a puzzle I didn’t know I was solving. I found personal and professional development in places I didn’t expect but each session, each day, each meeting held value. Every day my goal has been to use one piece of my experience in Leadership KFB to add value to my community because rural communities don’t transform overnight. It's one piece at a time, building upon themselves to be sustainable and prosper, just as Leadership KFB has done for me and so many others across the state. Applications are still open for Class XIII. If you’re looking for your sign to apply, this is it.