Two years ago, 18 Alabama farmers and ag professionals embarked on an intense, immersive and impactful leadership development experience.
Six institutes later, members of Class VI graduated from the Agricultural Leaders for Alabama (A.L.F.A. Leaders) program Aug. 16. The young leaders were honored during the Alabama Farmers Federation Farm & Land Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Their inaugural institute in Montgomery laid a strong foundation and delved into Federation structure and impact, including an up-close look at grassroots policy development.
Subsequent sessions introduced the class to state government and national advocacy.
During a week in Washington, D.C., the class met with decision-makers such as U.S. House Ag Committee Chair G.T. Thompson, R-Pa. That sparked a fire in Whitney Haynes. Her family grows row crops, raises cattle and operates a directto- consumer farm business in Cullman County’s Fairview.
The class’s focus on advocacy extended into a capstone project about workforce development. They used individual and collective strengths, plus the Federation’s vast network, to craft and propose a unified resource to encourage youth to pursue jobs related to farming.
A.L.F.A. Leaders Class VI graduates are:
- Trevor Collier, Lauderdale County
- Joe Corcoran, Barbour County
- Nic Cornelison, Jackson County
- Cara Clough, Marshall County
- LauraBeth Gamache, Lee County
- Ali Gotcher, Colbert County
- Rejeana Gvillo, Hale County
- Whitney Haynes, Cullman County
- Destry Hopper, Baldwin County
- Isaac Jones, Cherokee County
- Josh McCutcheon, Blount County
- Sidney McKathan, Covington County
- Daniel Mullenix, Lee County
- Evan Nelson, Jefferson County
- Sid Phelps, Tallapoosa County
- Matt Smith, St. Clair County
- Ellie Watson, Autauga County
- Noel Welch, Pike County
