Contact:
Brady Hagerty
317-692-7369
317-416-8704
bhagerty@infb.org

(Indianapolis) – Feb. 17, 2020 – Today, Indiana Farm Bureau in conjunction with the Indiana FFA Association hosted an advocacy day at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. More than 150 FFA students from across the state met with more than 30 state legislators to discuss how legislation could affect their future and the future of agriculture.

“This year’s FFA Advocacy Day was a tremendous success,” said Katrina Hall, INFB’s director of public policy. “With such a large group of FFA members participating, it highlights how important these students are to the future of agriculture and rural Indiana. The day’s purpose is to help them learn about becoming more engaged in the legislative process and policy discussions as a whole.”    

The day began with a welcome from Randy Kron, INFB president, who spoke on the importance of grassroots advocacy. Then, the students received advocacy training and were briefed on key issues from the INFB public policy team.

During lunch, students heard from Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. Following her remarks, the group was able to meet with legislators to discuss how policy decisions impact them personally. Their discussions focused on agricultural career and technical education funding and expanding rural broadband.

“Advocacy Day allows students to interact with legislators and promote how they really feel about the crucial issues facing agriculture today,” said Dillon Muhlenkamp, Indiana FFA President. “Farm Bureau gives students the knowledge and tools on how to effectively share their stories related to these issues and how to best support agriculture in the state of Indiana.”

The students also had the opportunity to network with other leaders in the agriculture industry during the day including representatives from Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Purdue University.

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About Indiana Farm Bureau: For more than 100 years, Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) has promoted agriculture in Indiana through public education, member engagement, and by advocating for agricultural and rural needs. As the state’s largest general farm organization, INFB works diligently to ensure a farmer’s right to farm—protecting the livelihood, land, equipment, animals and crops of Hoosier farmers—because agriculture is vital to Indiana’s economy. Learn more at INFB.org