Ag News
Andrews, Tuckers, Howard, Bratten win YF&R competitive events
Posted on Jul 22, 2026 at 14:35 PM
Allie Andrews, Bryan and Addie Tucker, Michael Howard and Arwen Bratten won state honors in the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers competitive events during the YF&R Summer Leadership Conference on Jekyll Island. The winners were announced during the event’s closing session on July 18.
Tony Hutchins of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance, left, and Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall, right, congratulate GFB YF&R Achievement Award winner Allie Andrews. / photo by Jay Stone.
Andrews won the YF&R Achievement Award. The Tuckers won the YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award. Howard won the YF&R Discussion Meet, and Bratten won the YF&R Collegiate Discussion Meet. Andrews, the Tuckers and Howard qualified to compete for national honors at the 2027 American Farm Bureau Federation Convention, to be held in January in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bratten qualified for the AFBF Collegiate Discussion Meet, which will be held during the AFBF YF&R Conference in New Orleans in March.
Wilkinson County’s Taylor Outlaw won the 2026 GFB Picture Agriculture in Georgia Photo Contest with her image of a blossoming peach tree. Outlaw’s photo will be featured on the cover of the 2027 GFB YF&R Calendar, and the top 12 photos will be featured in the calendar.
The YF&R program is for farmers and ranchers between the ages of 18 and 35. It provides leadership development and opportunities to interact with others across the state, while enhancing advocacy skills.
Achievement Award winner Andrews, of Lamar County, serves as Lamar County Farm Bureau YF&R chairwoman and chaired the GFB YF&R Committee in 2025. She was the first woman to chair the GFB YF&R Committee. She and her husband, Luke, raise cattle, broiler chickens and hay and they have an on-farm market on their farm near Barnesville.
The Achievement Award is given to recognize farmers and ranchers who earn the majority of their income from production agriculture.
Clay Black, of Stephens County, and Rick & Leanne Hopper, of Wilcox County, were finalists for the Achievement Award.
Tony Hutchins of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance, left, and Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall, right, congratulate GFB YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award winners Bryan and Addie Tucker. / photo by Jay Stone.
Excellence in Agriculture Award winners Bryan and Addie Tucker served on the GFB YF&R Committee in 2022 and 2023. Bryan works for Ag Technologies as a product specialist, selling, installing and servicing precision agriculture equipment. Addie recently earned her PhD in agricultural education from Murray State University and is an assistant professor of agricultural education at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
The Excellence in Agriculture Award, given to honor young farmers and ranchers who earn the majority of their income from something other than production agriculture.
Brittney Turner of Hall County and Ashley Wright of Coffee County were finalists for the Excellence in Agriculture Award. Turner is a strategic human resources leader for Wayne-Sanderson Farms. Wright is the Coffee County Extension Agent.
Tony Hutchins of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance, left, and Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall, right, congratulate GFB YF&R Discussion meet winner Michael Howard. / photo by Jay Stone.
Discussion Meet winner Howard, of Hart County, faced off with Allison Bridges of Haralson County, Dalton Green of Walker County and Katelin Benkowski of Morgan County in the final four round, during which they talked about the challenges in maintaining farmers’ accessibility to food animal veterinarians.
Howard just received his bachelor’s degree in agribusiness at UGA and starts classes the UGA law school this fall.
The Discussion Meet, which drew a total of 30 competitors from around the state, simulates committee-style meetings in which participants hash over agriculture-related questions and take a collaborative approach to seeking solutions. The first two rounds were held July 16. The round of 16 and the final four round were held on July 17. During the opening round, contestants addressed concerns over healthy diets and how Farm Bureau can advocate for science-based tools and research in pursuit of growing healthy, sustainable food. In the second round, the discussion centered on improving meat processing supply chains. In the Sweet 16, the topic was how Farm Bureau can work to attract more young leaders to the YF&R program.
Tony Hutchins of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance, left, and Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall, right, congratulate GFB YF&R Collegiate Discussion meet winner Arwen Bratten. / photo by Jay Stone
Bratten, of Stephens County, plans to attend Penn State University this fall to pursue a degree in agricultural business. In the Collegiate final four, she faced off with Bethany Brockman of Henry County (ABAC), Gabe Merk of Jackson County (UGA) and Kaden Kinard of Tift County (ABAC).
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