Farm Bureau members from across the country were challenged to get more involved in policy decisions that impact farming and ranching at the annual FUSION conference held recently in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Joining in the discussion were ten South Dakota Farm Bureau volunteer leaders from the Women’s Leadership and Young Farmers & Ranchers programs.

“The word for this year for Farm Bureau is engage,” said Jane Brehe, a Women’s Leadership Team member from Agar, S.D. “We learned about how to get more involved with the policy decisions that impact our industry and way of life both here at home and on the national scene. It was a great experience.”

Sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the conference stands for Farmers United: Skills, Inspiration, Outreach and Networking,

Tom and Katy VanderWal, Volga, South Dakota, members of the SDFB Young Farmer & Rancher team were also part of the delegation.

“We enjoyed the educational sessions, each of which will be helpful in managing our operations and also managing our relationships,” said Tom VanderWal. “We also enjoyed the tours and learning about different kinds of agriculture.”