Central Wyoming College student Giana Biagioni wins Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Collegiate Discussion Meet

Reposted from wyfb.org

November 17, 2022—Central Wyoming College (CWC) student Giana Biagioni (pronounced Bee-ah-joe-nee) discussed agriculture issues at the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Collegiate Discussion Meet and earned $300 cash and an expense-paid trip to Jacksonville, Florida. Biagioni competed Nov. 10 in Casper.

Competitors representing CWC, Sheridan College and Casper College entered the competition. The competition is designed to simulate Farm Bureau’s policy development process in a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected. The competition provided a challenge to discuss real time agriculture issues of concern and determine a potential solution.

“This discussion style competition is a very effective way for students to civilly discuss current topics that are prevalent within the agriculture industry,” Biagioni said. “As the students competing in these competitions are the future of agriculture this competition effectively gets us thinking about what we can do and how we can utilize Farm Bureau for our future success as a whole.”

Biagioni says she is grateful for the opportunity provided through this competition. “It was great to share my ideas with my fellow agriculturalists and hear what they had to say in turn,” she said. “Together, we generated multiple solutions that agriculture will benefit from in the future.”

Madison Henry, a Casper College student, was named the runner-up and was awarded a $150 cash prize. From Idaho, Henry is majoring in animal science.

Rounding out the “Final Four” finalists were Logan Lapica, Sheridan College and Kenneth Raymond, Sheridan College. From North Dakota, Lapica is studying animal science and ag business. Kenneth Raymond, of Rawlins, is studying ag business.

Contestants are given pre-determined topics. They are judged on their knowledge, speaking ability, ability to participate in a committee meeting and listen to others and air all points of view. All contestants competed in two rounds of competition. The top four advanced to the “Final Four” round.

The “Final Four” discussion topic was: “How can Farm Bureau effectively support and equip young farmers and ranchers to successfully manage economic and infrastructure challenges to ensure healthy and sustainable farms and ranches across the country?”

Biagioni will represent the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation in the American Farm Bureau Federation Collegiate Discussion Meet March 3-6, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. From Littleton, Massachusetts, she is a freshman at CWC pursuing a degree in farm and ranch management.

“We had an amazing group of participants this year and the competition was tough,” said Toni Swartz, outgoing WyFB YF&R Competitive Events Sub-Committee Chair. “I am excited to see how well Giana does on a national level.”

Biagioni is looking forward to the national competition. “I am honored to represent Wyoming at the national competition in March,” she concluded. “I am very excited to discuss the future of agriculture with other young minds.”

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. Members work together from the grassroots to develop agricultural policy, programs and services to enhance the rural lifestyle of Wyoming. On the web, www.wyfb.org.