Brandyn LuHellier won the Hamilton County Farm Bureau Speech Contest.

JASPER — The Hamilton County Farm Bureau Speech Contest was hosted by the UF/IFAS Hamilton County Extension Office on Sept. 9 with Brandyn LuHellier of the Oak Grove Academy 4-H club placing first.

LuHellier’s speech addressed the impacts felt by consumers following natural disasters that have impacted agriculture. He received a first-place prize of $50 and advanced to the Farm Bureau District Competition where he placed third. FFA student Toby Grant placed second at the Hamilton County contest and received a $30 prize.

Each year, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Leadership Program sponsors this statewide Youth Speech Contest. The purpose of the contest is to develop an appreciation and understanding of agriculture, its values and virtues.

The topic varies each year and the winner of the district competition advances to the state contest held at the Florida Farm Bureau Federations’ Annual Meeting in October. This year’s topic was: “Recent natural disasters have had a major impact on agriculture. How have these impacts affected consumers?” Participating youth wrote and delivered a 5-minute speech that addressed the topic.