Heitschmidt represents Texas in national discussion meet – Texas Farm Bureau

By Julie Tomascik
Editor

College students from across the nation competed in American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Collegiate Discussion Meet in early March.

Ryan Heitschmidt, a senior at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), represented Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) in the contest.

During the national competition, Heitschmidt discussed sustainability in agriculture and Farm Bureau’s role in advocating for agriculture in state governments and Washington, D.C.

“It’s a good feeling to be the one to represent Texas at the national level,” he said. “We had good discussion in the contest, and I was able to meet other college students from across the nation.”

Heitschmidt has always been passionate about agriculture. It led him to WTAMU where he is studying animal science.

While at WTAMU, he has been active in the WTAMU Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter, serving terms as vice president and ag advocacy chair. He is also a member of the WTAMU Meat Judging and Meat Science Quiz Bowl teams.

After college, he plans to pursue a career in meat science and later establish a local meat packing and processing business.

“Agriculture is something I grew up around, and it’s something that will always be part of my life and all of our lives,” he said. “It’s fulfilling to know that I play a role in that 2% of people who farm and ranch and contribute to agriculture’s supply chain.”

The national Discussion Meet was part of AFBF’s YF&R Leadership Conference in Omaha, Neb. The conference, which was held March 8-11, included breakout sessions focusing on grassroots advocacy, navigating generational differences, farm succession planning, work life balance and agricultural literacy efforts, among others.

Heitschmidt was named the winner of TFB’s Collegiate Discussion Meet in 2023, qualifying him for the national competition.

Learn more about TFB opportunities for collegiate students at texasfarmbureau.org/collegiate.