Registration for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) 2024 Young Farmer Conference has opened with a plethora of activities on tap, including the annual Discussion Meet, preconference industry tours and educational sessions.

The conference will be held Feb. 2-3, 2024, at Prairie Meadows Events and Conference Center in Altoona. Contact your county Farm Bureau to register by Jan. 19, 2024.  

The annual conference offers an opportunity to reconnect with friends and peers, make new connections, network and learn from professionals in the agriculture industry, says Vanessa Trampel, chair of the IFBF Young Farmer Advisory Committee. 

Elaine Froese will “Discuss the Undiscussabull” during her keynote speech on Friday evening, offering tips for farm families who want better communication and conflict resolution to secure a successful farm transition.

Friday evening’s activities in­clude a social hour and dinner as well as a casino night.

Pre-conference tours

The conference kicks off at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 with industry tours. Attendees can choose from tours of the new Iowa State University (ISU) feed mill, the state-of-the-art ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Clayton Farms indoor vertical farming operation in Ames, Foundry Distilling Co., the Albaugh classic car collection or a behind-the-scenes look at the Iowa State Fair.

Saturday morning activities will lead off with a welcome from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, followed by Farm Bureau district gatherings for networking. 

A series of educational sessions at 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Feb. 3 will cover agriculture’s definition of sustainability, planning healthy farm meals, farm transition and estate planning, the rules of selling meat products to consumers, hands-only CPR and a national policy update. 

The noon lunch will be highlighted by the Grow Your Future Award pitch-off competition featuring ag entrepreneurs.

A third round of seminars that afternoon will discuss understanding your balance sheet, farm estate planning and keeping children safe on the farm. 

Discussion meet

Also on Saturday afternoon, the Young Farmer Discussion Meet, sponsored by Grainger and GROWMARK, provides an opportunity for participants to build discussion skills, develop an understanding of important ag issues and explore how groups can pool knowledge to reach a consensus and solve problems.

The top eight finalists will ad­vance to compete at the Iowa Farm Bureau annual meeting in December 2024. Prizes are awarded to the top four state finalists, and the winner will advance to the American Farm Bureau Discussion Meet in January 2025 in San Antonio.

Alternatives to the discussion meet include seminars on understanding farm personalities or an ag equipment industry update.

The conference will wrap up with social hour, dinner and results of the Discussion Meet and Grow Your Future Award. 

Author and magician Tim Gab­rielson will provide entertainment, followed by networking facilitated by the hosts of the weekly “Farm4Profit” podcast.

More information on the conference can be found at www.iowafarmbureau.com.