Farmer to Farmer: Building Trust in Food and Agriculture Workshop
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM

The Make America Healthy Again movement is shaping views of food and farming in ways that often portray agriculture as part of the problem. But most consumers still share a vision of a healthier America—one built on values like innovation, transparency and stewardship.  

In this interactive session, The Center for Food Integrity will share new consumer research and introduce five belief-based segments that shape how Americans think about food, health and farming today. Participants will explore these segments through interactive and guided exercises designed to build empathy, shift mindsets and improve communication across audiences.  

Joining the session is Dr. Amanda Weakley-Scott, a large animal veterinarian, Farm Bureau leader and Virginia poultry, beef and hay producer. She will bring these insights to life with farmer-to-farmer messaging examples drawn from CFI’s “Say This, Not That” framework. Weakley-Scott participated in CFI’s Growing a Healthier America training earlier this year and will share how she’s applying these tools in real-world conversations.  

Whether you engage directly with consumers, legislators or local communities, this session will help you reframe tough topics, build trust and walk away with messaging tools you can use immediately.  

This workshop is sponsored by the Virginia Farm Bureau Growing Leaders Program. 

Dr. Amanda Weakley-Scott is a livestock veterinarian in Madison County, where she and her husband own and operate Lee-Lynn Farms where they raise turkey hens, a commercial cow-calf herd and seedstock Simmental cattle.  Weakley-Scott serves on the VFBF Poultry Advisory Committee, the American Farm Bureau Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and GO TEAM, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Board, in addition to other roles. She is passionate about helping farmers build consumer trust through effective communication strategies.   

Kelly Leighton is the vice president of growth and engagement at The Center for Food Integrity, where she leads strategic marketing, stakeholder engagement and organizational growth initiatives across food and agriculture. With more than 20 years of experience, Kelly has developed brand and engagement strategies for leading organizations and a range of CPG and agribusiness brands. Her passion for honest storytelling and values-based communication is rooted in her early experiences on her grandparents’ farm and canning operation in Georgia. 

Taking Back Control: Building Resilience in Your Life and Business Workshop
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM

Marshal and Taylor Sewell are founders of The Mind Your Melon Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on improving mental health and wellbeing among farmers, ranchers and rural families. Following their personal experiences with the stresses, grief and challenges of farm life, the foundation was created to raise awareness about farm stress and connect agricultural communities with meaningful sources. Through writing, workshops, speaking engagements and digital outreach, the foundation now reaches rural audiences across the country and around the world.

Taking Back Control: Building Resilience in your Life and Business

Taking Back Control is a practical workshop designed for farmers, ranchers, agricultural families and ag professionals who want to explore proactive support for their mental health and wellbeing through resilience building and risk management. Rooted in the science of resilience and hardiness—specifically the “3 Cs of Commitment, Challenge and Control”—this session blends personal reflection with hands-on tools to help participants manage stress, uncertainty and risk in everyday farm life.

The workshop will offer a practical introduction to key resilience concepts, stress mapping and management strategies to navigate stress and find balance in business, family and personal decision-making. Participants will leave with refreshed perspectives on resilience.

New Voting Delegate Orientation
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM 

*Voting Delegates should bring their handbooks

This session is designed for first-time voting delegates to the Virginia Farm Bureau Annual Convention. Attendance is optional for returning voting delegates.

Rachel Henley is a VFBF working lands and state advocacy specialist. She covers the Urban Legislative Program, land preservation, farm transition, energy, labor and policy development. Prior to joining Farm Bureau, she worked as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent and helped lead efforts related to farm transition and farmland preservation. She serves on the International Farm Transition Network board, is a certified farm succession coordinator, and has completed farm family business consultant trainings. She and her husband reside on a beef operation in Hanover County with their two children, and Rachel supports the family farm’s agritourism efforts.

Katelyn Rose Jordan is the assistant director of VFBF governmental relations and is proud to ensure that Virginia’s farmers have a seat at the decision-making table. Prior to joining Farm Bureau, she spent four years serving officers of the commonwealth, including two state senators, a state delegate, the lieutenant governor, and a state agency. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Randolph-Macon College where she studied political science, Spanish and communication studies. She is a native of Virginia Beach and currently resides in Richmond.

Jake Tabor is a legislative specialist with VFBF Governmental Relations handling commodity, wildlife and various environmental issues. He is a 2019 graduate of Virginia Tech where he majored in agribusiness and political science and was a member of the Livestock Judging Team, Block & Bridle and student government. He and his family run a commercial cow-calf and stocker operation in Pulaski, Giles and Carroll counties.

Young Farmers Discussion Meet Competition
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

Farm Bureau's strength depends on its members' ability to analyze agricultural issues and decide on solutions that best meet their needs. The Discussion Meet is an activity and contest designed to build these crucial skills in Young Farmers. By participating, Young Farmers build basic discussion skills, develop a keen understanding of important agricultural issues and explore how groups can pool knowledge to reach consensus and solve problems. All attendees are invited to watch the final four compete live Tuesday afternoon. The winner will go on to compete nationally at the AFBF Annual Convention in Anaheim, CA in January.