Registrants have until June 30 to apply
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Young Albertans with an interest in ag only have a few days left to apply to compete in a speaking contest.
June 30 is the final day to apply to participate in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition.
The competition, now in its eighth year, sees young people in two age brackets (juniors are 11 to 15 and seniors are 16 to 24), make a five to seven-minute speech on one of the available topics in front of an audience.
The topics for this year are:
1. What opportunities and challenges does climate change provide to Canadian farmers?
2. Farming the future: how can young producers meet the challenges and opportunities of farm transitions?
3. Telling our story: how do we better communicate agriculture and food production practices to consumers?
4. The future farmer: what new skills and training will future farmers need to successfully operate their farm?
5. What steps does Canadian agriculture have to take to remain competitive in the world market?
Competitors will make their speeches on July 10 at Olds College.
Mark Fournier, president of Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture, has been involved with the competition since 2018 where he started as a judge.
The speakers have always impressed him.
“I’ve seen how passionate and knowledgeable and articulate they are, and it always amazes me,” he said. “You hear all the time how people don’t like public speaking, but these kids are fearless, and they speak with so much conviction. It’s just wonderful to see.”
The winner from each age group will win a cash prize and move to represent Alberta in the national competition.
Alberta completed the sweep in 2019 when Ellie Stauffer won the senior competition with her speech exploring the rural-urban gap and how Canadian farmers can highlight their efforts to address consumer concerns.
And Ryley Mappin won the junior division in 2019 with his speech asking if people really know what they’re eating.
For young Albertans on the fence about signing up for the competition, Fournier encourages them to step outside of their comfort zone.
“We are always our worst critics,” he said. “And if we don’t think we’re good enough, sometimes we let that get in the way of what we’re trying to accomplish. And I’d like the young speakers to know the audience is there to support you all the way. We are there because we care about these topics too and want to hear your perspective on them.”