The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Committee held the preliminary rounds of the Discussion Meet competition during the annual Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Promotion (LEAP) Conference, Feb. 2-3. 

Eight semifinalists out of 20 competitors advanced to the final two rounds of competition, which will take place at the MFBF Annual Meeting in November.

Moving on were Savannah Aanerud (Stevens County), Jeff Debele (Wright County), Jesse Haarman (Olmsted County), Dan Hayes (Nicollet County), Megan Horsager (Chippewa County), Tyler Nelson (Pine County), Tim Pagel (Olmsted County) and Katie Saterbak (Swift County).

Contestants in the Discussion Meet are judged on their basic knowledge of critical farm issues and their ability to exchange ideas and information in a setting aimed at cooperative problem solving. 

The winner of the November competition will advance to the national YF&R Discussion Meet contest at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention Jan. 24-29, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.