Six high school students are among 17 winners of a student Virginia Farm Bureau Federation essay contest focusing on agriculture and population projections for 2050. The winners will have an opportunity to attend Tuesday’s Vice Presidential Debate at Longwood University.

The students are Brandy Snoddy, Buckingham High School; Jonathan Clarke, Central High School; Wade Spiggle, Cornerstone Christian Academy; Jeffrey Fariss, Fuqua School; Malik Hurtt, Prince Edward High School; and Abby Michaelson, Randolph Henry High School.

The essay contest was the culmination of a Collegiate Farm-to-Table Dinner and Agriculture Education program held Sept. 15 at Longwood. Following the event, students were asked to submit an essay based on ideas they gleaned from the panel discussion.

“The event brought students together with a panel of agricultural leaders to discuss the current state of agriculture as it relates to the future forecast,” Farm Bureau Member Development Specialist Dee Cook explained. “The world population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, farmland is lost every day that we cannot recover and the average age of the American farmer is approaching 60. Our goal was to inspire students to think about solutions for providing a healthy, abundant food supply for future generations.”

More than 100 students were among 250 participants in the event.
“We are delighted to announce the winners of the essay contest and congratulate them on their innovative ideas about helping to shape the future of agriculture. We hope this experience will be a catalyst for them to return to their communities and become involved in solving food production challenges of the future,” Cook said.
County Farm Bureaus partnered with their local schools by sponsoring the cost of the dinner for students and teachers. Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. sponsored cash awards for each student essay winner.