Fresno, Calif., (February 27, 2018) – This past weekend, American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers held their 2018 Leadership Conference in Reno, NV. Among the many activities hosted was the Collegiate Discussion Meet, held annually at the conference. Representing California in the competition was Tim Traux of Fresno State, who was able to hold off competitors in the final round from Alabama, Florida and Michigan to become the 2018 Collegiate Discussion Meet National Winner. The final round topic was “With a growing demand for US farm products abroad, how can agriculture overcome public skepticism of foreign trade to negotiate new trade agreements and open new world markets?” Tim becomes the third Fresno State student in six years to win the national meet.
The Collegiate Discussion Meet is a competitive event that stimulates a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each participant. This competition is evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic. Participants 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.
