By Marlee Moore

Nearly 100 high school students from 34 counties enjoyed high-energy workshops and team-building activities at the Alfa Youth Leadership Conference Nov. 1-2. 

The Alabama Farmers Federation coordinates the annual conference for freshmen and sophomores at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana. The event is sponsored by the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation and county Farmers Federations, with additional support from Alabama Farm Credit.

“These students aren’t just future leaders; they’re leaders right now in their schools, churches and communities,” said Hunter McBrayer, the Federation’s Young Farmers Division director who helped coordinate the conference. “It’s critical that we continue to invest in these students, develop their leadership skills and see them flourish. We say it a lot, but it’s true: The future of agriculture is bright.”

During the two-day conference, students learned the keys to leadership from motivational speaker Rhett Laubach, a former FFA state president. Mike Lutzenkirchen of the Lutzie 43 Foundation empowered students to make better decisions and positively influence others by telling the story of his son, former Auburn University football player Philip Lutzenkirchen, who died in a distracted driving accident. 

Students also participated in a ropes course, enjoyed s’mores around a campfire, practiced patriotism by raising the American flag and asked a panel of farmers questions about leadership and agriculture.

Visit the Federation’s Flickr account to view county photos.