Katie Radman, a student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, won the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Collegiate Discussion Meet competition, held during the Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Promotion (LEAP) Conference on January 10-11 at Treasure Island Resort and Casino.

As the winner, Radman will represent Minnesota in the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Collegiate Discussion Meet during the FUSION Conference in Denver from March 7-10. Radman represents Dakota County and is a sophomore majoring in agriculture communications and marketing, as well as animal science.

Mary Lanoue, also from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, was the runner-up.

Last fall, MFBF held competitions at seven Minnesota colleges and universities, with 56 participants across the campuses. The winners from these schools were: Riley Lefebvre and Landon Mertens (Central Lakes College), Kaitlyn Geiser and Michael Vetsch (Ridgewater College), Ben Bias and Braeden Hahn (Riverland Community College), Amanda Doan and Taylor Landrum (South Central College), Hunter Conn and Madison Douvier (Southwest Minnesota State University), Stephen McFadzen and Lily Krona (University of Minnesota Crookston), and Radman and Lanoue.

In addition to Radman and Lanoue, Douvier, Geiser, Krona, Landrum, McFadzen, and Vetsch competed at this weekend’s event. Radman, Lanoue, Krona, and McFadzen advanced to the final four.

Contestants in the Discussion Meet are evaluated on their knowledge of critical agricultural issues and their ability to engage in cooperative problem-solving and idea exchange.